


Five and a Half Months

by CasualPlebeian



Series: What happens in Vegas... [2]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-24
Updated: 2015-06-27
Packaged: 2018-03-03 06:07:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 41,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2840843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CasualPlebeian/pseuds/CasualPlebeian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rose has used the Dimension Cannon for one final mission, leaving the Doctor behind in Pete's Universe. Already struggling to adjust to life as a part-human, the Doctor has to face the very real possibility that he might be doing it alone. He's not sure he can. Except he's living with Jackie Tyler, who staunchly believes otherwise. Companion piece to Letting Go.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. July

The Doctor jerked upright at the sound of the key in the door lock, the wire he'd been soldering with his sonic flaring and zapping him painfully. He bit back a curse, letting the now useless CPU he'd been modifying drop to the floor as he jammed his aggrieved thumb into his mouth, in an attempt to alleviate the stinging pain. He glared in irritation at the door, damning Rose and her abysmal timing. Not only had she walked out on him in the middle of the night – after attempting to bin every single piece of electronic equipment in the house, in a frankly ludicrous fit of rage – but she'd returned moments after he'd managed to salvage the mess she'd made of his laptop.

It was just so typical of her, he thought uncharitably – if a little guilty, as he was still rather unused to the idea that he and Rose were _fighting_. But there really was no other word for it. He'd only been in Pete's bloody universe three days, and already everything had gone to hell.

Three days of uncomfortable silences, confusing emotions, requests for answers, demands for identities, and the impending claustrophobia of _domesticity,_ had left him feeling completely overwhelmed. Something that irritated him beyond belief, because he was fairly certain this whole situation could have been avoided had he simply been given a few moments to adjust to the complexity that was now his existence. Not that he'd ever admit to experiencing such a _human_ feeling.

He'd just about convinced himself that he could probably face Rose without losing it the moment she stepped through the door, when said door opened to reveal _Jacqueline Tyler_.

'What are you doing here?' the Doctor blurted out rudely, staring at Jackie in shock.

Rose's mother was absolutely the last person he wanted to see right now. In fact, he'd even take the angry, hurt, and upset version of Rose he'd encountered last night over Jackie Tyler any day. If she was here, he was at serious risk of physical harm. However, Jackie seemed to have her own agenda for the morning, and for now it didn't seem to include slapping him.

'Why do you think?' she snapped exasperatedly as she hauled several shopping bags into the hallway. 'I'm here to check you haven't burnt the bloody apartment building down. So if you're done with looking like a gormless idiot, help me get these bags into the kitchen!'

The Doctor scowled, making a point to ensure his mouth was firmly closed before stepping forward to help Jackie with her mass of shopping bags. How she'd ever managed to get them all upstairs by herself, he'd never know.

'I'm not a child, Jackie,' he muttered grumpily as he deposited his share of the bags onto the kitchen table. 'I'm perfectly capable of looking after myself. Managed just fine for the past 900 years,' he sniffed indignantly, knowing perfectly well who had sent Jackie round to check up on him.

Jackie put her own bags down much more carefully than he had, seemingly ignoring his childish behaviour. Finally, when she did look up to meet the Doctor's gaze, he was caught off guard by the disappointment he found lurking within the grey eyes.

He'd barely processed the expression though before Jackie returned her attention to her shopping bags, bustling around the kitchen as she unloaded them, all the while talking a mile a minute. The Doctor would have assumed he'd imagined the whole thing if it wasn't for the fact he could tell Jackie's concerned gaze never left him once.

'Rose said she hadn't had the chance to go shopping yet, but honestly – the state of this place!' Jackie chided him. 'I don't know how you two managed before, off on your own in that spaceship of yours. Milk's not even in date,' she declared, withdrawing from the fridge to empty the two out-of-date cartons down the sink.

Seizing his chance, the Doctor closed the fridge door and deliberately positioned himself between Jackie and the household appliance.

'I don't need a babysitter, Jackie.'

Rose's mother had the cheek to misinterpret him.

'I should hope not,' she answered pointedly, batting him away from the fridge so that she could restock it. 'Mind you, you'll be able to get some practice in with Tony,' she continued unperturbed. 'Doesn't have half a mind of his own, that one. Only five, and already he's taking after his sister. Says he wants to travel the stars, like Rose. On second thoughts, I'm not so sure I want you babysitting him. You'd probably take him to Mars, and not even think twice about it!'

'Oi! I'll have you know I'm an excellent babysitter. Won awards and everything. You're talking to Chialobos' "Best Babysitter", three times running.'

Jackie only raised an eyebrow, looking thoroughly unimpressed.

Before he could mount a defence though, she'd already moved on. Picking up the three remaining bags, she pointedly handed them to the Doctor.

'Now,' she continued briskly, as he opened the bags to examine their contents. 'You need to have a shower, and I'm going to organise some breakfast – although it's really closer to lunchtime.'

He'd stopped listening though, his attention captured by the contents of the bags he'd been handed.

One contained a couple of sweatpants and t-shirts, as well as a more traditional set of pyjamas. The second held underwear, mixed in with several pairs of vibrantly coloured socks. He was embarrassed to note that Jackie had selected a range of briefs, boxers, and boxer briefs for him to try. The final bag held an electric razor, accompanied by a range of personal hygiene products, including a toothbrush.

It hit him then that this was what domestics was: sweatpants and toothbrushes.

Was this who he was now? A man who wore boxers and cologne? A regular nine-to-five guy?

He used to save universes.

And yet here he was, felled by the contents of a simple shopping bag.

A gentle touch on his shoulder roused the Doctor before his thoughts could spiral off out of control. He sucked in a deep breath of air, looking up to find Jackie staring at him in concern. She was biting her lip, clearly worried by his reaction.

'We all have to start somewhere, sweetheart,' she murmured softly, rubbing his shoulder.

o0o

He got through the shower easily enough, finding comfort in the steamy environment and the steady pounding of Rose's high-powered shower nozzle as it delivered the perfect temperature hot water. It was enough to lull him into a state of semi-consciousness, reminding him that despite his best efforts to the contrary his body was in dire need of rest. He would have succumbed to the steamy embrace of the shower too, if Jackie hadn't had the good sense to check on him, tapping gently on the bathroom door to remind him that she'd served up breakfast.

Discarding his suit in exchange for the clothes she'd bought over was a little more difficult. In the end though he knew Jackie wouldn't tolerate him appearing before her in the same clothes he'd been wearing since his arrival in this universe, and he had to admit that the suit _was_ in need of a wash. The smell of smoke and death still clung to the clothing. Not to mention his own body was still adjusting to the new human hormones, which meant he was more than a little grateful that Jackie had had the foresight to purchase some men's deodorant for him – not that he'd ever tell her.

The cotton of the sweatpants felt far too flimsy against his legs, and he missed the familiarity of his wool suit pants. Whilst the t-shirt left him feeling exposed, his arms seeming unnaturally pale in contrast to the deep blue colour Jackie had picked out for him. He was so busy rearranging his clothing, as he stepped out of the bathroom, that he didn't immediately notice Jackie. An irritated huff brought him sharply back to reality though, making him jump almost a foot in the air in surprise.

She was standing by the kitchen bench, arms crossed as she surveyed him with a thoroughly disapproving gaze. In front of her she'd lined up ten empty bottles of Pete Tyler's triple-caffeine-shot Vitex drink. Ten bottles the Doctor was quite certain he'd put in the rubbish bin last night. He was suddenly very glad that there was a bench _and_ the living room, currently between him and Jackie Tyler because he had a terrible suspicion that he knew _exactly_ where this was going.

'When did you last sleep?'

It was disconcerting how easily the woman could latch onto a topic the Doctor had no desire to discuss with her.

'Jackie, I can explain –'

'Can you? Because I know for a _fact_ that Rose can't stand Pete's caffeinated drinks.'

The Doctor cursed internally as his half-baked excuse went flying out the window.

'I'm a Time Lord,' he tried instead. 'I don't need as much sleep as you humans.'

Jackie scoffed, rolling her eyes.

'You're part human now, mister, so don't you try that "superior biology" line with me. Now answer the question: when did you last sleep?'

It was abundantly clear where Rose got her stubbornness from.

Recognising defeat, the Doctor took the few steps over to the couch and sank, far too willingly, into its soft embrace. He _was_ tired, and if Jackie was going to give him a dressing down, well he figured he might as well make himself comfortable.

'I haven't slept,' he admitted softly, staring up at the ceiling as he rested his head against the back of the couch.

'You can't just pretend things haven't changed, Doctor.'

Jackie's voice sounded from much closer than he was expecting, causing him to startle badly as he realised she'd managed to catch him unawares.

'Blimey, you're jittery,' she commented, reaching out to squeeze his shoulder comfortingly. 'Mind you, the amount of caffeine you've had in the last few days I'm surprised you're still standing.'

The Doctor gave her a watery smile.

'I used to be able to go weeks without ever needing to sleep,' he murmured sadly. 'Now, I can't even manage three days without resorting to an artificial stimulant.'

Jackie let out a sigh and sat herself down next to him.

'It's hard enough moving universes, Doctor,' she said sagely. 'But don't make it harder than it should be because you're too busy fighting the small changes. You need time to adjust, more so than any of us, and we all understand that. Just promise me you won't make Rose wait too long, Doctor.'

'She told you about our argument,' he realised flatly.

Jackie clipped him lightly over the head.

'Course she did, you plum! I'm her _mother_.'

He stared at her for a moment, before glancing away uncomfortably.

'I'm not sure I'm who Rose wants,' he admitted quietly, voicing the single fear that had been consuming him since the moment he'd arrived in Pete's world.

'And you've asked her that have you?' Jackie enquired dryly, fixing the Doctor with a knowing look.

'She wasn't exactly interested in hearing me out,' he snapped back, irritated by her line of questioning.

'There's no need to get snappy with me, mister! I'm not here to tell you what you should and shouldn't be doing, and I certainly didn't come over here to pick a fight with you. You and Rose have to sort your own problems out, Doctor. That's how relationships work. And the first thing you should understand is that it's not going to be easy. Goodness, Pete and I used to disagree on the silliest of things in those first few months. We used to fight, and we used to say some _awful_ things to each other, all because we kept comparing what we had _now_ with what we _used_ to have. Course, once we realised _that_ , we could see how stupid we were being, wasting our second chance.'

Jackie broke off in exasperation as she caught sight of the Doctor's furrowed brow.

'What I'm saying,' she continued earnestly, 'is that we worked out where we stood with each other, Doctor. You and Rose need to do the same. But, you're never going to get anywhere whilst you're so sleep deprived. You need to admit that you're that little bit more human now, and act accordingly. Even if that means you have to sleep eight hours a day like the rest of us. If you can't even admit that to yourself though, well I'm not sure why you're expecting Rose to do the same,' she finished sternly.

'I don't know where to start.'

'Getting some sleep is where you start.'

The Doctor still looked unsure.

'Rose is frustrated,' she relented, 'but she isn't going anywhere, so you just take your time, Doctor. You work out whom you are and what you want from this life, and when you're ready Rose will be waiting for you. We _all_ want what's best for you. Even if that means coming round here every morning to make sure the apartment's still standing.'

The Doctor couldn't help the slight smile that Jackie's joke elicited.

'I'm not going to burn the place down,' he promised sarcastically.

Jackie smiled.

'I know, dear,' she said kindly, and then because it seemed she felt the need to explain her imposition upon him. 'It's what family do though, Doctor. We look out for each other.'

o0o

Jackie had only left the previous day after ensuring he'd had something to eat and gone to bed. When he'd woken, ravenously hungry, to find he'd slept the entire day through, he'd found a tidied flat and a note from her informing him that dinner was in the fridge, and to expect her again in the morning. He'd eaten and gone straight back to bed, her promised return the next morning, forgotten about.

So of course, he'd been rather surprised to find he wasn't the only occupant of the apartment when he'd finally made his way into the kitchen midmorning.

The sight of Jackie Tyler sipping tea at the kitchen bench, looking mildly bored as she flipped through a gossip rag, was enough to startle any man. At least, that was how he was attempting to justify the rather un-manly exclamation of surprise he'd let out upon catching sight of her – a response the Doctor was certain she'd probably never let him live down. Sulking, he'd sat himself down opposite her, and had only brightened up when she'd placed a choc-chip banana muffin in front of him.

It seemed she'd stopped by after dropping Tony off for a play date, but she'd brought more than just choc-chip banana muffins along. A thick, sealed yellow envelope, that he very much did not like the look of, had been placed very deliberately between them on the bench. Munching on the delicious muffin, he regarded the yellow envelope warily, noting that it was just within his reach if he felt so inclined to reach for it.

A name was scribbled on the front of the envelope in thick black marker pen, the handwriting horribly familiar. If he squinted, he could just make out the block lettering: _**DOCTOR**_.

'Rose asked me to drop these round this morning,' Jackie said casually, taking a sip of her tea. 'She finished them off yesterday, and thought they might give you a bit more freedom.'

Hesitantly the Doctor reached out for the thick package, pulling it across the table until it was directly in front of him. For a moment he considered not opening it. He knew what was in the package. How could he not? They'd argued over these very documents right before she'd left, so of course she'd gone and finished them for him. That was so very _Rose_ – stubborn as a mule. She'd told her mother she wanted him to have freedom though, so perhaps it wasn't going to be as bad as he was thinking. Gingerly, he slid a finger under the seal, opened the envelope, and tipped the contents out onto the table.

The passport was the first thing he noticed, the plain burgundy colour jumping out at him. He was surprised she'd trusted him with one. Horrified, the Doctor quashed the uncharitable thought before it could take root. Rose had _never_ attempted to constrain him. Not once. And he knew she wasn't about to start now. Even knowing his partiality towards running from his problems, she'd entrusted him with a passport – although if he _had_ wanted to run from her, lack of an official passport would never have held him back. It was interesting that she'd given him the option though. In fact, he wasn't quite sure what to make of it. Did she want him to leave?

A bunch of other identification cards had fallen out with the passport, including a driver's license, a European healthcare card, several debit cards, an oyster card, and surprisingly a library card to the local branch. All of them were made out in the name of _Doctor John Smith_. Dutifully he skimmed through the collection of official documents that accompanied the identification cards. The pieces of paper cataloguing a life he'd never lived.

The more closely he examined the little details of this fictitious life Rose had constructed for him though, the angrier he became.

'So this is who Rose thinks I am,' he spat bitterly, dropping the papers back onto the bench.

Jackie frowned at his outburst, but for once refrained from commenting. Instead, she watched silently as the Doctor worked himself up into a right proper tiff.

'"John Smith",' he mocked, 'the epitome of a boring, _average_ life. I've never read anything so dull,' he scoffed.

'Hang on,' Jackie interrupted. 'You've got at least two doctorates in that pile, _and_ double first-class honours in your undergraduate degree. That's definitely more than average.'

The Doctor stared at her as though she'd dribbled on her shirt.

'Jackie, any Time Lord worth their robe, could explain and integrate quantum mechanics by the age of eight,' he replied, dead-pan.

'Yes, well here on _Earth_ , we only manage that by age _nine_ ,' she shot back sarcastically.

She gave him a dirty look, before continuing on.

'It may look "primitive" to you, Doctor, but by _our_ standards those qualifications you're so sceptical of make you a genius. And that's exactly what you shamelessly promote yourself as _every_ _single_ _time_ you open that gob of yours!

'Besides, Rose offered to let you do this all yourself. But if I remember correctly, you didn't seem too interested at the time. So I suggest you stop complaining, and start learning. She didn't waste three days creating all this for nothing!'

The Doctor looked thoroughly put out, his ears tinged pink in embarrassment – and Jackie suspected, lingering anger – as he avoided her gaze by re-examining the papers he'd just dismissed.

'It's still a pathetically dull back-story,' he grumbled mutinously.

He was about to tell her exactly how dull the back-story was when a word in one of the papers caught his attention. Hastily he extracted the file from the pile before him, holding it out at arm's length as he squinted at the typed print, scanning the document with astounding rapidity. He missed Jackie's frown as she watched him struggle to read the small print, but before she could question him, he slammed the paper down, fixing her with a furious glare.

'Why do I have an ASBO!?' he exclaimed, his voice shifting up an octave in his outrage.

Infuriatingly, Jackie burst out laughing.

He shot her a thoroughly disgusted look, and impatiently waited for her to stop laughing and to start talking.

'I'm sorry,' she gasped, getting her breathing back under control. 'Rose mentioned that, but I didn't expect you to react like that! Goodness, I'll have to tell her about it when I get home!'

'Yeah thanks, Jackie,' he snapped icily. 'Because Rose _really_ needs more fodder on me at the moment.'

That sobered her, any trace of amusement vanishing instantly to be replaced with that same sad, disappointed look she'd given him yesterday. The Doctor fixed his attention on a spot about a foot to the left of her. The last thing he wanted – _or needed_ – was Jackie Tyler's _pity_.

'Rose may have been a bit upset with you when she filled that document out,' she offered lamely in explanation. 'If it helps, she did say it wasn't entirely intentional. She never meant to make it permanent, but by the time she'd cooled down she realised she'd accidentally saved it into the police records by mistake. She can take it out if you really want, but her and Pete thought it leant some authenticity to your background, even if you've never actually been drunk and disorderly. There are a few library fines and the like as well,' she finished.

The Doctor grumbled in mild indignation although he couldn't really argue with the Tylers' logic. It certainly did lend authenticity, and it wasn't as though Rose hadn't given him _every_ opportunity to create his own history. Plus, he'd hardly been the model citizen back on Gallifrey. What did it matter if this silly human persona of his was a bit more accurate than he would have liked? Remembering the grief he'd caused his tutors at the Academy, the Doctor let out a long-suffering sigh of bemusement.

'I suppose it's only fair,' he acquiesced. 'My tutors at the Academy frequently bemoaned my tendency towards delinquency in my younger days.'

Jackie simply shook her head at him indulgently.

'Well,' she announced promptly, satisfied that he'd accepted the papers. 'I've got a few errands to run, but I'll drop back in on my way to picking Tony up from his play date.'

'That's really not necessary, Jackie –' the Doctor began, before realising he was talking to an empty room.

Rolling his eyes, he collected the pile of documents, and took them over to the couch with him. If Jackie really was coming back in a few hours he might as well use his time efficiently. Kicking his feet up onto the coffee table he examined the first sheet of his background history. It was time to find out who John Smith was.

o0o

Jackie returned loaded down with shopping bags. In hindsight, the Doctor wasn't sure why he'd expected anything else. Relieving her of her cargo at the door, he dutifully followed her into the kitchen all the while wondering what she'd brought around this time. He wouldn't say no to more bananas, but even he could tell the fruit bowl had exceeded its capacity. He was about to calculate the exact number of bananas that he'd need to consume to keep the fruit bowl below capacity level, when a shopping bag was thrust towards him.

Clearly, Jackie had other priorities.

Warily, the Doctor accepted the proffered bag, and risked glancing inside. He was baffled to find his blue suit.

'Why is my suit in your shopping bag?'

His voice was strained as he awaited her answer. The possibility that his suit – that the _contents_ of his _suit's_ _pockets_ – had been anywhere other than crumpled up on the bathroom floor since yesterday, terrified him. Jackie couldn't possibly have been stupid enough to have taken his suit, he thought desperately. Although the way she was looking at him, as though _he'd_ asked a particularly strange question, did not instil him with confidence.

'Well I was hardly going to _wear_ it down to the dry cleaners, was I?'

'You took it to the dry cleaners?' the Doctor asked weakly, barely able to believe what he was hearing.

'That _is_ how you clean suits, Doctor,' she replied slowly.

At some point his hands had found their way into his hair, and he'd begun to pace.

'Alright, stop!' Jackie commanded, her tone bringing the Doctor up short. 'What's got you all worked up? Because from the way you're acting I'm starting to think the world must be ending.'

Incredibly, he managed to hold back his sharp retort, opting instead to simply gape at her. He couldn't even appreciate her attempt at humour because the way he saw it, the world quite possibly _had_ just ended. Well, _his_ world at any rate. Tiredly, he ran a hand down his face, the fight going out of him as he realised that the damage had already been well and truly done. What he needed to do now, was attempt to salvage the situation.

'Where did you take it?'

'The place down on Campton Street,' Jackie answered confusedly. 'It's where I take all Pete's suits. They're always very good, Doctor. Managed to get a red wine stain out of one of Pete's white jackets last year, and yours looks good as new as well, s'far as I could tell.'

'It's not about the cleaning, Jackie,' the Doctor stressed. 'I don't care how good they are at getting wine stains out. I just care about what was in my _pockets_.'

Something clicked in her expression, sudden understanding as she realised what he was getting at. Although why that required an exasperated eye roll, the Doctor wasn't sure.

'Why didn't you say so, you daft idiot,' she chastised, pushing past him to fetch a box from Rose's room.

It was a large box, and clearly quite heavy judging from the way Jackie was handling it. He moved forward eagerly to take it from her, hoping against hope that it contained what he thought it did. The moment he had it in hand he put it straight down on the ground, and began to rifle through it. He'd never been so happy to see the contents of his pockets before, but it was only once he had the TARDIS coral piece safely in hand that he felt he could relax. Grinning like a loon, he looked up to meet Jackie's irritated, but indulgent, expression.

'What do you take me for anyway?' she asked pointedly. 'S'if I'd have subjected those poor people to going through _your_ pockets. Bad enough I had to do it. The number of half eaten products you had in there...'

She suppressed a shudder, moving back into the kitchen, and leaving the Doctor alone to fawn over the myriad of objects that represented the entirety of his worldly goods.

o0o

It seemed three days was all it had taken for him to grow accustomed to finding Jackie Tyler situated in his kitchen when he awoke. Well, to at least _assume_ that the kitchen was going to be occupied before he entered it. He still wasn't quite used to the Jackie Tyler part of this particular equation.

As per usual she was flicking through a magazine as she sipped away at her morning cup of tea when he finally made it into the kitchen mid-morning, dressed again in a clean pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. A combination that was fast becoming his "house wear", he was mildly disgusted to note. However, Jackie would stand for nothing less than at least one change of clothing per day, and since it was far too early in the day to antagonise her he instead opted to oblige her peculiar idiosyncrasies.

What was unusual this morning was that Jackie relinquished the magazine the moment he walked into the kitchen in favour of setting about making his tea for him.

The Doctor was immediately suspicious. Jackie Tyler never fussed over his tea, unless he had something she needed. He stared at her apprehensively as she placed his perfectly prepared tea before him. She knew how well he liked her tea – he suspected his appreciation stemmed from his early encounter with her brew during this particular regeneration – and he tried admirably to resist the temptation of taking a sip. He knew she'd pounce on him the moment he relented, taking his enjoyment of her tea as payment for a favour.

He lasted a respectable forty seconds before giving in and taking a sip. The delightful brew had barely graced his palate before, as expected, Jackie broke her silence.

'Rose is going into Torchwood this morning,' she began casually, testing the waters.

The Doctor carefully set his cup down, his movements precise as he attempted to hide his anger. He suspected he knew exactly where this conversation was going.

'Rose goes into Torchwood every morning, Jackie,' he replied evenly. 'What exactly is so special about today, that you've decided I need to know about it?'

'She's disassembling the Dimension Cannon today.'

There was a brief, uncomfortable silence as the Doctor processed her words.

'Good for her,' he replied bitterly. 'Though I have no idea why that should be any concern of mine.'

'She wanted to know if you'd come with her.'

'No.'

His rebuff was instantaneous, and absolute.

'She only wants your support, Doctor,' Jackie snapped, irritation slipping into her tone at his reluctance to even consider the issue. 'Is it really too much to ask you to help her with this one thing!?'

He gazed at her coldly, his tea entirely forgotten.

'Rose knows perfectly well that I have absolutely no desire to ever associate myself with Torchwood.'

He could tell Jackie was furious as she picked up her magazine, and shoved it roughly into her hand bag before shouldering the ridiculous monstrosity she favoured. She made it all the way to the door before retaliating.

'She only asked because she spent three years building the bloody thing so that she could find her way back to you. Believe it or not, packing up a project she was so heavily invested in _is_ a bit more challenging than just pulling it all to pieces. Of course, you wouldn't know anything about that, would you? Seeing as _she_ was the one who had to come and find _you_!'

With that parting jab, the door slammed shut, and the Doctor was left to contemplate when he'd managed to become so brilliant at sticking his foot in his mouth.

o0o

He'd known there was something wrong when Pete Tyler turned up the next morning.

The man's face had been grim, his colour almost matching the dreary grey suit he wore. He hadn't said much at all, but it had been enough. After everything that had happened in the past week, it had simply taken the words "Rose" and "gone" to bring the Doctor into Torchwood. If he'd been capable of feeling anything at all, he might have found the whole situation ironic. Instead, he sat alone in Rose's empty office, numb to the world around him as he contemplated his new reality.

Pete had taken him straight to the Dimension Cannon the moment they'd arrived at Torchwood. The technology, which normally would have impressed the Doctor to no end, instead seemed to mock him, and it was with the utmost focus he concentrated simply on analysing the data from the computer. It didn't take him long to reach his conclusions: Rose was gone, and the Cannon was offline.

He'd told Pete as much, which was when he'd been taken through to Rose's office, left alone temporarily whilst pointless arrangements were made by the Torchwood staff. At some point someone had handed him a Styrofoam cup of tea. It lay neglected in his left hand, neither wanted nor remembered.

'Tosh has programmed an alert into the Cannon system so that we'll know the moment Rose's jumper becomes active again.'

Pete's voice startled the Doctor from his thoughts. He'd been so distracted he hadn't noticed the other man re-entering Rose's office, and as it was it took him a few moments to process what had been said to him.

'It doesn't matter,' he answered flatly. 'I already know where she is.'

Pete frowned.

'Why didn't you say so before?'

'Because I wasn't ever sure it had been real,' the Doctor admitted, finally voicing one of the numerous thoughts that had been plaguing him as he sat alone in Rose's abandoned office. He'd known the moment he'd seen the Cannon where she'd gone. There was no other plausible alternative.

'Doctor, you're not making any sense,' Pete replied in frustration, pulling Rose's desk chair over. 'Do you, or do you not, know where Rose is?'

The Doctor really didn't feel like explaining the situation to Pete, but he supposed he owed the man some explanation.

'She's in Las Vegas,' he supplied dully. 'In her home universe,' he clarified, pre-empting Pete's next question. 'It's the year 2008 where she is, and she'll spend five and a half weeks looking after a man named Peter Vincent. She'll save his life, in more ways than she can possibly imagine, and on the 15th April, Rose Tyler will offer him a choice. He'll make a decision that will change their lives irrevocably. The last time he sees her, he begs her to stay with him. She doesn't. Instead, she fades away as though she'd never existed in the first place, and he's left wondering if he imagined the whole thing.'

'How can you possibly know all that?'

'Because _I_ was Peter Vincent.'

o0o

'You look like you've had the shock of your life, sweetheart.'

The Doctor blinked, broken from his thoughts to find himself face to face with Jackie. He frowned as he took in his surroundings, recognising the familiar facade of the Tyler mansion. On any other day he'd have been concerned to realise he had no idea how he'd come to be here, but not today. Not with Rose gone.

Time seemed to have blurred without his permission, events progressing around him without his knowledge. He remembered providing a condensed explanation of his time in Las Vegas to Rose's father, but very little else. Clearly, Pete had decided to take him home with him.

His silence must have alarmed Jackie, because she pulled him down into an embrace, holding him tightly. For once, he allowed himself to be comforted by the woman, not resisting the rare display of overt affection.

Eventually she pulled back so that she could examine him properly.

'She's had us all worried, disappearing off like that, but you look terrible, Doctor. You're not ill are you?'

'No.'

Jackie wasn't convinced, reaching up to feel his forehead as though worried he had a fever. He pulled away, forcing himself to stand tall again.

'I'm fine, Jackie,' he insisted, although it sounded feeble even to his own ears.

She gave him a long, hard look.

'Are you sure you're alright?'

He could have laughed. How many times had his wonderful companions asked that of him? And how many times had he lied?

He forced himself to smile.

'I'm always alright.'

The lie was almost convincing this time.

'Best get you settled inside then,' Jackie said, letting him win for now.

He was almost at the door when her words registered with him.

'Settled?' he asked confusedly. 'Jackie, I'm not staying.'

She stopped dead, her eyes narrowing dangerously as she turned to face him, arms crossed tightly across her chest and eyebrow half raised already.

'How long did you say she was going to be gone for?'

'Five and a half weeks,' he answered reluctantly.

'And how many people do you know in this universe?'

'Well,' he began, drawing the word out as he stalled for time. 'You...and Pete, of course...and then there's Jake from Torchwood...'

Trailing off, he frowned as he realised he'd exhausted his list of acquaintances. Although he suspected Rose's mother wouldn't appreciate being labelled simply as an "acquaintance". She was gazing at him sympathetically, the expected "I told you so" uncharacteristically withheld. He must truly look a fright, he thought despondently.

'I know you're not one for staying put, but you'll always have a home with us, Doctor.'

To her dying day, Jackie Tyler would never truly understand the impact her words had on him in that moment. He had no planet; no people; no TARDIS; no Rose. He was utterly alone in this universe except for one woman, and her family. Jacqueline Tyler, who understood him well enough to know that even if he pretended otherwise, sometimes he _did_ need someone to care enough to ask. Feeling more than a little overwhelmed, the only reply he was capable of was a nod of acceptance.

Jackie smiled.

'Just until Rose gets back, mind you,' she added tactfully. 'One five year old is more than enough for me!'

Her quip worked, and he couldn't help the small smile that tugged at his lips as he followed her inside.

o0o

Jackie must have conspired to keep Tony busy whilst he settled in because it was a good thirty minutes before the youngest Tyler ventured into the guest room to assess his new housemate. Intent on upgrading the second-hand sonic screwdriver he'd nabbed from the TARDIS, the Doctor didn't immediately register the boy's arrival. Unlike most five year old boys, Tony wasn't loud-mouthed. Instead, Rose's brother elected to quietly observe the strange man who'd taken up residence in his home before making his presence known.

'Are you Rose's boyfriend?'

'What!?'

The Doctor just about fell out of his chair, as he whirled around to find himself face to face with a blonde-haired boy. He recognised the eyes immediately, for it seemed Tony Tyler shared his sister's hazel eyes. The boy had been looking over his shoulder, quietly watching him rebuild the sonic screwdriver, but it seemed curiosity as to his identity had drawn out the polite enquiry from the five-year old.

'Well, are you?' Tony repeated impatiently, frowning speculatively as he eyed the Doctor with interest.

Unable to come up with an appropriate answer, the Doctor settled on the obvious.

'You must be, Tony Tyler. I'm the Doctor.'

Tony grinned as he accepted the Doctor's proffered hand, apparently delighted by the grown up gesture.

'Rose talks about you a lot,' the boy supplied dutifully, as though this settled the matter.

'She does?'

Tony nodded in agreement, leaning around the Doctor to look more closely at the disassembled sonic. Thankfully he had the sense not to touch anything, but just in case the Doctor carefully manoeuvred the more temperamental parts away from Tony. Apparently satisfied with his brief examination, Rose's brother turned to look at him once again.

'If you marry Rose, will you be my brother?'

The Doctor swallowed a nervous laugh, the sound coming out as a strangled noise at the back of his throat. He was going to kill Jackie Tyler.

'Well,' he replied embarrassedly, dragging the word out as he tugged nervously on his ear. 'I suppose... _hypothetically_...if Rose and I were ever to get married...then by the standards of this particular planet...and this particular century...you would be considered my brother-in-law.'

Tony beamed at him.

'I knew it!'

'Did you?' the Doctor replied, weakly.

'Who's your football team?' Tony continued, oblivious to the Doctor's embarrassment.

'Err?'

'You can't marry Rose unless it's Arsenal,' he replied seriously.

The Doctor suppressed a laugh. The boy was being completely earnest despite the ridiculous nature of his request. It'd been so long since he'd spoken with a child, he'd almost forgotten the joy such conversations bought.

'Well, Tony Tyler,' he answered delightedly, crouching down so that he was eye-level with the grave-faced child, 'you're in luck. I happen to be an avid Arsenal fan myself.'

'Yes!' Tony exclaimed happily, throwing his arms tightly around the Doctor's neck in the approximation of a hug. 'They're Rose's team as well.'

As quickly as the hug had begun, Tony was pulling away, the Doctor's hand clasped tightly in his own little one as he insistently pulled the older man upright.

'C'mon, I want to show you my football!'

Unresistingly, the Doctor allowed himself to be led outside into the back garden by the eager five-year old. There was a child-sized goal set up close to the house, but it was the official Arsenal FC signature football that Tony wanted him to see. He'd received the ball from Father Christmas apparently, and the Doctor could tell that it was a treasured possession for although it appeared well-used from six months of use, it was also clear that Tony took good care of his football.

'Do you want to play for a bit?' he asked tentatively, clearly unsure if Rose's friend would want to play with her younger brother. Of course, the boy's hopeful expression meant the Doctor's answer was a given, and he happily took the offered ball, mindful of his companion's shorter legs as he kicked the ball backwards and forwards with Tony.

'Did you know,' the Doctor began enthusiastically as he carefully nudged the ball back towards Tony, 'that I convinced the higher-ups at Arsenal that Wenger was making the right choice to sign Thierry Henry back in 1999. They didn't think Henry was worth the transfer fee. Course, they didn't know that Henry won't be replaced as Arsenal's all-time leading scorer until 2036.'

The Doctor's grin faded as he realised Tony was frowning.

'You said your club was Arsenal!' the boy accused, sounding awfully upset, his football lying forgotten at his feet.

'They _are_ ,' the Doctor assured. 'I thought you'd like to hear about Henry though,' he finished confusedly.

He was completely astounded that Tony didn't seem to have the slightest bit of interest in hearing about arguably the best Arsenal player of the 21st century.

'Henry plays for Chelsea,' Tony grumbled angrily, kicking the football in disgust. 'I hate Chelsea!'

The Doctor winced as the football-turned-projectile hit him hard in the shin.

'Oww,' he whined, rubbing his bruised leg. 'What was _that_ for!? It's not my fault I'm from another universe. How was I supposed to know Henry played for Chelsea here?'

Tony had the grace to look ashamed.

'Sorry,' the five-year old mumbled, running to fetch the football before handing it over to the Doctor as a peace offering.

Growing up in the Tyler household meant Tony had some understanding of parallel worlds, and thankfully Rose had made a point – quite soon after their arrival, and whilst they'd still been on speaking terms – of bringing him up to speed on what was "five-year old Tony" safe and what wasn't. He wasn't going to risk either Rose's or Jackie's wrath by crossing _that_ particular line.

They kicked the ball between them for a few more minutes, the silence stifling as the Doctor realised he'd disappointed his young companion with his lack of contemporary Arsenal knowledge. Determined to make the little boy smile again, he volunteered himself as keeper so that Tony could practice shooting goals. Rose's brother was immediately impressed and within a few minutes was laughing excitedly as the Doctor went to great lengths to make inspiring saves. However, Tony must have had more on his mind than football because it wasn't long before the questions started up again.

'Did you fight with Rose?'

The Doctor froze, caught off guard by the sudden question. The truth slipped out though – hard and cold against the warm summer day's breeze – as he gently rolled the ball back to Tony.

'Yes.'

'Is that why she's gone?'

'I don't know, Tony,' the Doctor answered wearily. And the truth was he really didn't know why Rose was gone. His time as Peter Vincent was hazy at best, something that had always bothered him.

'You've got to say you're sorry,' Tony advised pragmatically. 'That's what Mummy says you do after you fight.'

The Doctor smiled sadly; Tony had such a simple view of the world. Somehow he didn't think "I'm sorry" was going to cut it with Rose this time though.

The ball passed between them in silence for several minutes before Tony spoke once again.

'Is Rose gone forever?'

The football thumped into the back of the net, but neither the Doctor nor Tony paid it any mind. Closing the distance between them the Doctor crouched down in front of the little boy, suddenly aware of exactly how young Rose's brother was as he voiced his terrible fear to the one person he was certain would know the answer.

'Your sister would _never_ leave you without saying goodbye, Tony,' he promised surely. 'She's coming back, okay?'

Tony nodded, his doubts vanishing instantly as he wrapped his arms tightly around the Doctor's neck.

'I'm glad you're here, Doctor,' he whispered.

'So am I, Tony Tyler.'


	2. August

'So, go on then,' Jackie prompted. 'What happened between you and Rose?'

The Doctor held back a sigh. He'd been expecting the question since he'd moved into the Tyler mansion a week ago. In fact, he was begrudgingly impressed that Jackie had held her curiosity in check for so long. However, he certainly wasn't going to reward her for her uncharacteristic patience. Returning his attention to the morning paper's cryptic crossword he studiously ignored his superfluous breakfast companion.

It was the expert level crossword of course, but they never quite managed to last him more than six minutes of concentrated effort. How "TheCryptologist _"_ could possibly think that the clue " _flipping, flipping short clergyman_ " constituted an expert clue, he could not possibly fathom. Idly he wondered if he should take up writing the crossword clues for _The Daily Universal Register_ , he'd certainly be much more creative than the ostentatious "Cryptologist" was. Although the novelty of doing the crossword would undoubtedly wear off if he already knew all the answers, he realised. And as easy as he found the clues, he still enjoyed being able to do the crossword in the mornings.

A disgruntled clearing of the throat shook him from his musings.

Accepting the inevitable, he looked up from _The Daily Universal Register_ – he still found it amusing that in this universe John Walter had stuck with the ridiculous moniker rather than changing it to _The Times_ – and met Jackie's unamused gaze.

'Yes?'

She stared at him pointedly.

'You heard me perfectly well the first time,' she grumbled, sipping away at her morning cup of tea. 'Don't you pretend otherwise.'

It wasn't quite half-seven yet so Tony was still upstairs playing in his room, allowing his mother a few more moments of peace before she called him down for breakfast.

'I'm sure you know more about it than I do,' the Doctor sniped irritably.

'What's that supposed to mean?'

'Well, Rose came here,' he pointed out. 'I'm sure she told you all about it.'

He couldn't quite keep the bitterness out of his voice. It was hard enough navigating this new "domestic" territory with Rose, but the thought of having to contend with Jackie as well whilst they sorted out their problems was more than he could deal with.

'Actually, she told me to mind my own business.'

The Doctor was so surprised that his hand slipped, his fountain pen trailing across the page of the paper and ruining the crossword he'd almost finished.

'She did?' he queried, for once not noticing that his voice had entered a very un-manly register.

'All she'd tell me was that you'd had a "disagreement over the electronics", and she'd decided it'd be the best thing for both of you if she came and stayed with me and Pete for a bit.'

'Well, there you have it then,' he answered lamely, his disbelief that Rose _hadn't_ spoken of their argument to Jackie colouring his tone.

Glancing down at his crossword, he was dismayed to realise it was beyond redemption; simply a puddle of blue ink, courtesy of his wayward fountain pen.

'And I'm the Prime Minister of Great Britain.'

'Sorry?' he replied distractedly, barely glancing at Jackie as he balled up the now useless piece of paper, standing up so that he could lob it towards the rubbish bin in the kitchen corner.

'Rose wouldn't have come here simply because of your infernal tinkering,' she continued doggedly. 'You argued about the other you, didn't you?'

The wadded ball of newspaper hit the floor well wide of its mark, the soggy thud like a clap of thunder in the now silent kitchen. Very slowly, the Doctor managed to reseat himself.

'Is it that obvious?' he murmured resignedly.

'You weren't the only ones on that beach, you know. She still loves the man who walked away, doesn't she?'

His silence was all the answer Jackie needed.

'Oh, Doctor,' she sighed kindly. 'You can't expect her to stop loving the other one just because she won't ever see _him_ again. It doesn't work like that.'

He stared at her in dismay.

'But it _does_ ,' he insisted. 'I'm _him_.'

Jackie frowned, unable to comprehend what he was telling her. He let out a frustrated sigh, for it appeared that he was the only person who truly understood what had happened that day.

'I'm not a duplicate, Jackie,' he said resignedly. 'And it's not like with you and Pete because I'm _not_ a parallel version of the Doctor. I am _literally_ the same man. Pete doesn't have memories of Rose growing up. He doesn't remember her first steps; her first day at school; the bronze in gymnastics or the red bicycle for Christmas. He doesn't have those memories because that was never his life to live. He was never _your_ Pete Tyler.

'But I can tell you exactly how much it hurt when you slapped me for bringing Rose home twelve months late,' he continued. 'I can tell you about the phone call we had when the Earth almost went nuclear. I remember the Satsuma in the pocket of Howard's pyjamas, the taste of the tea that helped me through my regeneration, and the Bazoolium Rose brought home for you the day the ghosts became Cybermen. They're _my_ memories because I'm still the same Doctor you've always known.'

There was a moment's silence.

'Except you're part human and he's not,' Jackie murmured.

The Doctor nodded miserably.

'I'm scared she'll stay with _him_ ,' he whispered, finally voicing the one fear that had been eating away at him for the past week since Rose had disappeared.

He'd told Jackie and Pete that Rose would be back in five and a half weeks, but the truth was that he couldn't be certain. He remembered being Peter Vincent but the memories were distorted and confusing, more so than the previous time he'd used the Chameleon Arch. He suspected it had something to do with the traumatic way in which Peter's life had ended. The integrated human memories were fragile at the best of times when using the Arch, but the state of Peter Vincent's memories suggested that they'd likely been corrupted by the process of converting his biology from human back to Time Lord.

He was certain though that the Rose who had been there with him in Las Vegas had already defeated the Daleks on the Crucible. No other explanation was possible because the woman who'd met him on that ill-fated street, the night he'd siphoned the excess regeneration energy into his handy spare hand, that Rose Tyler had been seeing him for the first time since they'd been separated. Of that he had no doubt.

The problem was that he remembered Rose fading away after he'd opened the fob watch in Las Vegas, and he had absolutely no idea where she'd gone.

For all he knew she'd simply skipped forwards in time to join his full Time Lord self, the man who still had a TARDIS and the universe at his fingertips. And no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't convince himself that it _wasn't_ possible.

'That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard you say,' Jackie exclaimed, succinctly halting his thoughts mid downward spiral. 'Rose loves _you_ , you plonk. Why on Earth would she stay _there_ now that you're _here_?'

' _Because I'm still there!_ ' he shouted in frustration.

He'd shocked her into silence. Standing abruptly he began to pace, his hands working their way into his hair and pulling every which way.

'Don't you see?' he muttered, sparing Jackie only the briefest of glances as he rambled aloud, all the horrible thoughts he'd had, finally spilling forth. 'She'd still be able to travel the universe if she stays with him. There wouldn't be any question of whether the TARDIS grows or not. He's already got one. They'd never –'

'Stop it!' Jackie interrupted furiously. 'You stop, right this instant.'

He was so surprised he stopped mid-sentence, his mouth hanging open in an almost comical way. Rose's mother was standing also, her gaze livid as she stared him down.

'If you truly think, _for one second_ , that Rose travelled with you for all that time because she wanted to see the universe, then you don't know her at all.'

Jackie's scathing tone left no room for argument, but he barely registered the warning.

'But...we've always travelled...' he spluttered confusedly.

Rose's mother stared at him. Her gaze piercing as she studied him seriously. Abruptly, her expression softened.

'You really are completely clueless,' she muttered under her breath, searching out her abandoned cup of tea.

Once she was seated again she returned her attention to him.

'In the beginning it might have been about the travel,' she conceded. 'Rose was always a wanderer at heart, always wanting to travel and explore, and you gave her that opportunity, Doctor. But it stopped being about the travel for her a long time ago. She stayed with you because she loves you. She'll spend the rest of her life with you, Doctor, if you'll let her. Travelling or not travelling. It's always been about _you_.'

'Oh.'

Jackie rolled her eyes at his monosyllabic answer.

'And you can stop thinking that she'll be staying in that other universe, mister,' she continued knowingly. 'If Rose had wanted to go with the other you, she'd have gone with him. Neither you nor I would have been able to stop her. But she's made her choice, Doctor, and she's chosen you. So all I can say is that you'd better have yourself sorted out by the time she gets back. Honestly, the pair of you do my head in,' Jackie finished good-naturedly, draining her cup of tea.

The Doctor watched her rinse her cup out, still processing everything that had passed between them in the last few minutes. Somehow, Jackie had managed to weed out, with astonishing precision, all of the insecurities that had been troubling him since Rose's departure. As he turned his attention to his own neglected cup of tea, he wondered if he'd ever learn to stop underestimating Jacqueline Tyler.

o0o

'Are you squinting?'

Jackie's suspicious enquiry broke his concentration, and the Doctor looked up guilty from the history book he'd been perusing. Although "perusing" hardly seemed the appropriate term; he'd barely managed three pages in the past hour.

'No,' he lied unconvincingly.

In reality, he'd had persistent difficulty with his vision since he'd arrived in Pete's world. At first he'd attributed the blurring to fatigue and too much caffeine. But he'd been sleeping regularly now for the past three weeks, and his eyesight hadn't improved. It was the fine print that gave him the most difficultly, the letters coalescing into a horrible illegible mess if he didn't hold the book at least a foot away from him. However, he could hardly get away with that in front of Jackie. So instead, he'd endured the headaches brought on by forcing himself to squint at the text in an endeavour to hide his poor eyesight.

Apparently, she'd caught him out though. He'd been so engrossed in the text that he hadn't heard her enter the sitting room. She'd clearly had several uninterrupted minutes to observe him and had drawn her own conclusions. He knew it was stupid to keep up the charade now, but he'd stubbornly had his head in the sand for so long regarding his vision that he was hard pressed to admit otherwise. Jackie knowing would make it real, and that meant accepting the changes the Metacrisis had wrought upon him.

It was even more pig-headed of him when he deigned to remember that he had in fact worn glasses before in this regeneration, although the prescription had been negligible at best. Now though, he was facing the reality of needing proper aid to correct his vision.

Something he hadn't quite come to terms with yet, if the lying was anything to go by.

Jackie didn't seem in the least bit convinced by the half-hearted lie though. Instead, she crossed to his side and plucked the thick tome from his hands. He hadn't expected that so he passed the book off without a second thought, watching curiously as she flipped it open to a random page he hadn't read yet before handing it back to him.

'What's that say then?' she asked deliberately, indicating the first paragraph.

He glanced down at the page, already knowing that the book was far too close for him to read from. As expected the paragraph Jackie had indicated was nothing more than a smudge of inky shapes he couldn't hope to decipher correctly. Unwilling to be caught out, he attempted to bring the letters into focus by extending the book to arm's length.

Jackie wasn't fooled.

'Right,' she declared. 'Get changed. We're going to the optometrist.'

o0o

'Stop fiddling with them,' Jackie chided exasperatedly. 'They look fine.'

The Doctor glared half-heartedly at her over his menu, but he did as she'd asked and stopped adjusting his new glasses. They were almost identical to the pair he'd carried as a full Time Lord, except the prescription was much stronger than the non-existent one he'd previously had.

'Now what do you want to order?'

'I don't understand why we had to eat lunch out,' he whined for the sixth time in as many minutes. 'There's plenty of food at home. I could have whipped us up some nachos in, ohhh eight minutes, I should think. Or perhaps cheese on toast, Tony loves that.'

Jackie sighed, dropping her menu rather loudly onto the table as she stared at him.

'We're eating out because you've been moping around the house for the past three weeks,' she explained tersely. 'That's why.'

He frowned.

'I've not been moping.'

Jackie raised an eyebrow, looking thoroughly unimpressed with him as she returned her attention to the menu.

'I haven't,' he declared stubbornly, following suit and picking up his own menu.

After dragging him along to the optometrist and securing him three pairs of prescription glasses – three because she didn't trust him not to lose two – Jackie had made the executive decision that they were stopping for lunch at her favourite restaurant in the middle of town. He had to admit that a small part of him was overwhelmingly relieved to be able to read the menu without difficulty, but he wasn't so sure about the company he was keeping. He'd never been to lunch with a companion's mother before. It was a rather unnerving experience, and one complicated by the fact that Jacqueline Tyler was a minor celebrity in this universe.

'That woman's looking at me,' he groused, glaring at said middle-aged woman sat three tables to their left.

Jackie didn't bother to look up.

'No she's not. You're being paranoid.'

The Doctor scoffed.

'She _just_ took a picture of us, Jackie,' he snapped back sarcastically.

Again Rose's mother seemed unperturbed by the development.

'This is why I didn't want to have lunch with you,' he muttered indignantly. 'Now they're all taking photos of me. At this rate I'm going to be in the paper tomorrow.'

Jackie rolled her eyes.

'Have you decided what you want? I'm going to signal for the waiter.'

Admitting defeat, the Doctor stopped protesting and perused his menu briefly. Dutifully he ordered the fish of the day with a healthy serving of chips on the side, much to Jackie's chagrin. Apparently three-star Michelin restaurants weren't the sort of place where you ordered "chips", but he'd never cared much for society's rules. All he really wanted to do was to go home and disappear into the room that was now his at the Tyler's mansion, where he'd be left to tinker undisturbed.

For the most part he was left alone whenever he sought the solace of the modestly sized bedroom, Jackie perhaps knowing him too well to willingly risk disturbing him whilst he worked. Occasionally Tony would sneak in, but the Doctor was well attuned to the young boy's soft footsteps now and always managed to catch him out before his inquisitive little fingers found their way into trouble. It wasn't that he was actively avoiding the Tyler family – or moping, as Jackie had put it – rather he was working on a Void Activity Detector that would allow him to know the minute Rose returned home. And that required time alone.

Two and a half weeks. That was all he had to get through now.

He'd managed three weeks on his own. Only a bit over a fortnight to go now, and then Rose would be back and everything could go back to normal.

o0o

Jackie ventured into his room a week later, laden down with a pile of boxes that the Doctor was immediately suspicious of. He'd finished off his Void Activity Detector five days ago and had finally returned his attention to upgrading his screwdriver once again, the various components currently lying sprawled across his desk in organised disarray.

'They've finally arrived,' Jackie announced by way of greeting.

Carefully setting the sonic wave emitter down, the Doctor acknowledged his guest.

'What are you doing?' he asked guardedly, frowning as he watched her spread the boxes out across his bed.

She sent him an exasperated look, but her eyes were alight with anticipation.

'Well, come and look,' she babbled excitedly, pulling the lid off the first box. 'Pinstripes are quite unusual in this universe, so it took a while for Mr Thompson to order in the right material for you. He was very nice about it though, he's Pete's tailor,' she added as an aside. 'Said he'd make up a few alternative suits for you as well, in case you wanted to try something a bit more fashionable here. There's only three for now, and they're a bit darker than what you'd normally wear, but I thought you'd like something a bit more familiar than those other trousers and shirts I picked out for you. These will all fit you perfectly because they're the same cut, you see? I had him use your blue suit as a template.'

The Doctor had stopped listening.

He stared at the boxes Jackie had unpacked, fury coursing through his veins as he eyed the pristine suits. It was all simply too much: the glasses, the changes to his biology, fighting with Rose, and the underlying anxiety that he'd gotten it all wrong and she'd not be back in eight days time. Everything had been creeping up on him, but this was finally the straw that broke the camel's back.

He snapped.

Before he could even register what he was doing he'd grasped Jackie by the elbow and manhandled her to the door.

'I _don't_ need your help,' he spat lividly. 'I'm not some pity project for you to play dress ups with. I'm a _Time Lord_ ,' he thundered.

She opened her mouth to say something, her own temper flaring in response to his, but he didn't give her the chance.

'Show some respect, _human_ ,' he snarled, slamming the door in her face.

It took him forty seconds to realise he'd made a mistake.

He'd lashed out at the only person who truly knew him in this universe. The one person who'd had his back since he'd arrived. And he'd brought her to tears.

There was no excuse either. No matter how trapped he felt by the domesticity of this new life, he had no right to speak to Jackie that way.

As his anger drained away, his parting insult played over and over again in his mind.

_Show some respect, human._

'Rassilon,' he groaned aloud, slumping slightly against the doorway. 'What have I done!?'

Jackie Tyler didn't cry. Not over him. She had never once allowed him to get the better of her, and she'd certainly never been afraid to let him know when she thought he was in the wrong. The idea that he might have cowed her with his thoughtless words was unthinkable. In fact, it was repugnant.

What sort of person was he to take pleasure in belittling someone who'd simply tried to help him?

Rose had been right to leave, he thought despondently. He'd tried to convince her that he was still the same man, but it was clear now that he was a stranger in his own body. Revulsion overcame him and before he could over think it, he was on his feet following after Jackie.

He needed to apologise.

He found her by the French windows, gazing out at the inclement weather. The slight smudge of her mascara was incongruous with her carefully blank expression, reminding him of exactly how dangerous words could be. He'd been a fool. He opened his mouth to say something, but the words seemed to die in his throat. What could he possibly say to make amends for his gross transgression?

Running away suddenly seemed like a very good idea.

As though she could sense his cowardly thoughts, Jackie spoke.

'You're a lot of things, Doctor, but I never thought you were cruel.'

Her gaze remained fixed on the lawn of the mansion, her wistful tone almost chilling in its sincerity.

Silence stretched between them, becoming uncomfortable until he realised she was waiting for him to say something.

'I made a promise once,' he said slowly. '"Never cowardly or cruel". That's what I promised myself when I took on the name "Doctor". That's who I promised to be.'

The words had come unbidden, escaping without conscious thought, but it was a long moment before he managed to speak his true admission.

'I'm not that man anymore, Jackie.'

She glanced at him then, the tiniest movement of her head so that she could see him out of the corner of her eye. The acknowledgement propelled him onwards.

' _He'd_ never have spoken to you the way I just did. I was ungrateful and cruel, and it was unfair of me to take my anger out on you. I'm so sorry, Jackie,' he finished sincerely. 'For everything.'

She didn't say anything for a long while, and he began to wonder if he should leave her alone when she turned to face him.

'That man was the rudest alien I've ever had the misfortune to meet, _Doctor_ ,' she said frankly. 'He'd have said all that and plenty more, so don't you think twice on it. You've not changed that much.'

The Doctor gaped.

'But you left...without saying anything...' he stammered. 'I thought...you...'

'I only left because some plonker shut the door in my face,' Jackie chastised, cutting him off. 'Not much use arguing with a wooden door, is there?'

His hands found their way into his hair, ruffling it up as he considered how stupid he'd been.

'I'm sorry,' he repeated, needing Jackie to understand he hadn't meant a word of his tirade.

'I know,' she said gently. 'We all say hurtful things when we're upset and angry, Doctor. It doesn't mean it's not painful to hear them, but the point is you tend to be a bit more forgiving when you understand what's going on in the other person's life.

'You're scared and you're worried, and I pushed you too far today. But don't think for one second that I'm sorry,' she finished warningly, although her amusement was obvious. 'You can't wear that blue suit forever, you know.'

Despite himself, the Doctor smiled.

'When did you get so wise?'

Thankfully Jackie seemed to recognise the sincerity behind his words, sobering as she considered his question seriously.

'Having children changes you, Doctor,' she said simply. 'And having your only child disappear for a year? Well, let's just say that it gives you some perspective on life.'

'I don't think I ever apologised for that,' he admitted shamefacedly. 'All I can say is that I know what it is to lose a child, and I'm so very sorry I ever put you through that, Jackie.'

She nodded silently, words failing her as she pulled him into a hug. After all, the nightmare had ended for her. Her child had come home again.

His children never would.

o0o

Rose hadn't come back.

Exactly five and a half weeks to the day since she'd disappeared, and there was no sign of her. The Void Activity Detector he'd built remained stubbornly silent and the Dimension Cannon room tellingly empty. He'd wanted to be there when she returned, but as the hours stretched out his confidence ebbed away, waning with each second she failed to return.

He'd waited over twenty-eight hours for her, perched on an uncomfortable wheelie office chair in the Dimension Cannon room, when Pete finally insisted on escorting him home in the early hours of the morning. Neither he nor Jackie said anything, but the Doctor could tell that they were both equally worried and upset by Rose's continued absence.

They'd both been so certain that he'd known what he was talking about when he'd told them five and a half weeks.

It was clear he'd been wrong.

He held out hope for another five and a half days before he accepted defeat.

Rose wasn't coming back.

o0o

The sour smell of vomit, laced with the malodorous stench of stale urine assaulted him as he returned to consciousness. His head felt as though it had been split in two, the steady thump of his blood as it circulated through his abused system making him nauseous.

He'd barely registered the sensation before he was dry heaving, rolling onto his side in a pathetic attempt to manoeuvre himself upright. He'd not felt this ill since his seventh regeneration, when he'd unwittingly been given an anaesthetic and subjected to major surgery by well-meaning, yet frankly appalling, human doctors.

Once he was certain he wasn't going to vomit he managed to pull himself upright onto his knees, and for the first time since waking he surveyed his surroundings. For the life of him he couldn't remember what he'd been doing prior to regaining consciousness. In fact, his memory of the entire previous evening was a strange blur of half-remembered sounds and colours that made very little sense. There was one distinctive element to his memories though, and that was the residual taste of alcohol.

He'd definitely had more than one drink then, he thought grimly. And judging by his current location, he'd clearly taken leave of his senses. The Tylers were not going to be happy because he appeared to have woken up in a cell.

The facilities seemed to be relatively new, the room obviously designed for optimum management of drunks. The cell doors were all clear glass, arranged in a circle around a central hub which allowed the officer on duty to keep an eye on his wayward charges. Objectively, the Doctor supposed it reduced the likelihood of a prisoner deteriorating medically whilst in police custody, but he couldn't quite shake the feeling that he was very much like a goldfish in a glass bowl.

The shrill tone of a ringing phone pierced the relative silence of the watch-house, battering his ear drums with startling vindictiveness. He'd forgotten how much he hated being hung-over. Not that he'd ever experienced a hangover quite as debilitating as this one. Apparently the human part of his physiology did not tolerate alcohol well. Wishing the infernal sound would stop, he was beyond relieved when the duty sergeant finally deigned to answer the wretched phone.

'Watch-house. Jackson speaking,' the man answered gruffly.

The guard glanced towards him, and the Doctor immediately began to pay attention.

'Yes, he's awake. I'll book him then. Are you sure, sir? Alright.'

The guard replaced the phone, shooting the Doctor an annoyed look.

'Seems your next-of-kin have arrived,' he groused, leaving his desk to approach the Doctor's cell door.

Entering a four digit key, the sergeant unlocked his cell and waited impatiently for him to step out.

'You should count yourself lucky, Smith,' he muttered darkly, nudging the Doctor towards the desk.

'Sorry?' the Doctor questioned, completely bewildered by the man's attitude.

'I dunno know how much Pete Tyler paid to get you off the hook, but we won't look the other way again,' he warned. 'It's scum like you who've ruined this country. Put another toe out of line, and I'll personally make sure you face your charges.'

The Doctor was so surprised by the man's vehemence that the sergeant's final nudge towards the desk caught him off guard, and he stumbled painfully into the side of the desk. The sharp edge caught him under the ribs with enough force that he knew it was going to bruise up. He didn't complain though, knowing better than to antagonise his jailor further. The man was clearly annoyed that he appeared to be getting off scot-free.

He'd clearly never met Jackie Tyler then.

The Doctor had no doubt that he was in serious trouble with Rose's mother. He remembered consciously making the decision to have a drink. After all, wasn't that what humans did when their worlds shattered around them? Have a few drinks at the pub and forget all their troubles? He'd wanted that oblivion, but he still wasn't sure how he'd managed to get himself arrested. The fact that Pete had clearly gone out on a limb to clear his name for him was not a good sign though, and he suspected Jackie was going to be furious.

'Your belongings,' the sergeant sneered, thrusting a clear plastic bag towards him.

The Doctor just managed to gather it up in time, noting with some relief that it contained the contents of his suit pockets and his trainers. Extracting his shoes from the flotsam and jetsam he'd managed to accumulate in his pockets, he hastily pulled them on, purposefully ignoring his impatient jailor. Letting out a disgruntled sigh, the sergeant herded him to the doorway that seemed to lead into the police station's reception area, and keyed in the code to let him out.

Both Pete and Jackie were waiting for him in reception, the pair of them stony-faced.

Two Torchwood agents stood with them, dressed in their familiar black uniforms of anonymity. The Doctor recognised neither of them. At a nod from Pete the pair of them moved to stand by him, flanking him as they pointedly herded him towards the station's exit. He moved to side-step them, but Pete's voice stopped him short.

'I'd rather you not make a scene, Doctor. You've already attracted enough attention for one day, I should think.'

It was then that he caught sight of the cameras.

Several reporters were milling around outside the entrance to the police station, clearly waiting for him to come out. He scowled in irritation, but realised that Pete was right. Whatever he'd done to attract the attention of the press, there was no point encouraging further interest. Nodding his acquiescence he allowed Pete's Torchwood agents to shepherd him to the blacked out SUV waiting by the kerbside.

The flash of camera bulbs and the click of shutters followed him as he stepped out from the police station. The Torchwood agents did their best to turn the cameras away, but undoubtedly the reporters got the shot they'd come for. Jackie had already made it to the car, and as he was bundled in behind her he heard Pete politely decline to comment on the situation before the man himself slipped into the front seat.

The chauffeur immediately took off, the car absolutely silent as he drove them home.

o0o

'Doctor!'

Tony launched himself at the Doctor the moment he stepped from the car, knocking the wind out of him as he hurried to lift the boy up before he could hurt himself. He'd clearly raced out of the house the moment he'd heard the car on the gravel, escaping out from under the watchful eye of the housekeeper.

'Hello, Tony,' he murmured tiredly, beginning to really feel his hangover.

'You missed story time!' the youngest Tyler accused, looking none too impressed with him as he tightened his grip on the Doctor's shoulders.

Whenever Rose stayed at the mansion she'd always read Tony a story before bedtime. In her absence, Tony had enlisted the Doctor as his big sister's replacement. The little boy had been beyond delighted when he'd discovered that the Doctor was much better at doing the character's voices than Rose. Until last night, he hadn't missed a night, enjoying the ritual almost as much as Tony did.

'I know. I'm very sorry about that, Tony,' he apologised. 'How about we read two stories tonight?'

Tony grinned in delight, hugging him enthusiastically, but he pulled away almost immediately, staring at the Doctor in horror.

'Your face is all scratchy!'

Reaching out a tentative hand Rose's brother frowned as he touched the stubble growing across the Doctor's cheek. Shaving regularly had been another new thing for the Doctor, but it was only as Tony prodded his prickly cheeks that he realised he must look a right sight.

'C'mon Tony, let's have a kick around.'

Pete had come up beside them, extracting his five year old son from the Doctor's grip with ease. Tony didn't seem to sense the frosty atmosphere between the three adults, instead delighted to have his father's sole attention. As the pair disappeared round the side of the house the Doctor realised he was alone with Jackie now.

Clearly Pete was giving them space.

'Right, I expect you'll be needing a paracetamol then?'

'What?' he stammered, staring at Jackie as though she'd grown a second head.

'Well, there's not much point having this conversation while you've got a pounding headache, is there?' she said reasonably.

The Doctor supposed there wasn't.

Meekly he followed after her as she disappeared into the house.

o0o

'You have to stop waiting for her to come home, Doctor.'

Jackie watched him from across the kitchen table where they sat together, each clutching a strong cup of tea. The Doctor had never seen her more serious than she was now, and it was a few moments before he could process what she'd said to him. Once he had, he wondered if he'd misheard her.

'What did you say?'

'You can't keep waiting for Rose to come home,' she repeated.

He frowned.

'But...'

Words failed him, and he simply looked to her helplessly, willing her to explain. He'd followed her inside expecting to be berated over his behaviour the previous evening. Not to be discussing Rose. In fact, he was utterly confused.

'Your whole life can't be about her, Doctor,' she said sadly. 'That's not right.'

'But...I...'

Even now he found it difficult to verbalise the words that bound him to Rose, the phrase that proved Jackie was absolutely wrong.

'I know you do,' she said gently. 'I know you _both_ do. But you can't be there for her if you won't be there for yourself. You have to know who _you_ are without Rose.'

The Doctor laughed aloud, a horrible, empty, pathetic sound that echoed eerily around the kitchen.

'I've already tried that, Jackie,' he said mirthlessly. 'It very nearly drove me mad.

There was a beat of silence.

'Do you want to know why?'

She shook her head but he ignored her, determined to have his say.

'Because I couldn't get over your daughter.'

The silence was deafening, but he forced himself to carry on.

'I've lived for over 900 years,' he murmured. 'I've been a father, and a grandfather. I've travelled throughout time and space, and I've had _so many_ companions. All of them people I've loved and cared for. More than that though, I've seen and done things that you couldn't possibly imagine, Jacqueline Tyler. I destroyed _my own people_ for the sake of the universe. And despite all that, I couldn't stop loving your daughter.'

Even now he still found it difficult to believe, but it was the truth. Rose Tyler had wandered into his life at exactly the right moment, slotting into place as though she was always supposed to have been there. Because she'd found him on the one day he'd allowed himself to be vulnerable.

The one day he'd decided to ask twice.

'I don't know who I am anymore without Rose Tyler,' he finished softly.

Jackie reached out for his hand, giving it a brief squeeze.

'Rose felt exactly the same way when we ended up in this universe,' she said calmly. 'Because the life you lead changes people, Doctor. You show them time and space and you show them their potential. And once that's done they can't look back. Ever.

'You taught Rose to never give up, but then the pair of you were separated. And here she was in this universe, and she didn't know how to live a life without you in it, Doctor. So do you know what she did?'

The question was rhetorical, but still he shook his head.

'She worked out who she was,' Jackie said simply. 'It wasn't easy, and there were a lot of tears and anger along the way, but in the end she made the decision to find a way back to you because it was right _for her_. Not because it was right _for you_. And now it's your turn.

'Don't put your life on hold while you wait for her to come back, Doctor,' she beseeched. 'Trust her, but please don't wait for her.'

He realised then that he _had_ been waiting for Rose, whether consciously or unconsciously he couldn't tell. Jackie was right though, everything about his life since he'd moved to this universe had been about Rose. And that wasn't healthy. Neither was it fair, to either Rose or him. After all, how could he expect her to love him when he'd barely come to terms with this new life of his? It was time he worked out who he was, and what he wanted from this life because he only had the one now.

There were no second chances.

'I'll try,' he promised sincerely.

Jackie smiled in relief, and it was clear she'd been worried about him for some time. As she stood to leave the kitchen, she stopped beside him, a thought seeming to occur to her.

'The other you,' she said seriously. 'Does he still feel all that for Rose?'

Her pity for that other man was almost palpable.

'There's a new man out there now,' he answered softly. 'A _new_ Doctor. And he's me, but not quite.'

He met Jackie's gaze.

'He won't love Rose Tyler as I do,' he promised sincerely.

It was a strange thing to tell Rose's mother, but somehow it bought them both some relief to know that that new man would have a fresh start.

'I'm glad of it,' Jackie admitted softly, reaching out to squeeze his shoulder in a rare gesture of solidarity.

He smiled wistfully. So was he.


	3. September

'Look, Mum! It's the Doctor!'

At the sound of his name the Doctor looked up from his tea, sharing a bemused glance with Jackie. He'd been out all day exploring London and had only arrived back at the Tyler mansion twenty minutes ago. There weren't that many differences between the old London and his new one, but he enjoyed the thrill of noticing and cataloguing the tiny little nuances that did exist.

His frequent day trips to London over the past week had also managed to successfully put all notions of "moping" out of Jackie Tyler's head. He knew Jackie was pleased he'd found his feet in this brave new world of his, but he wondered if she regretted encouraging him to get back out into the world. September had finally arrived and with it Tony's first day of school. Which meant for the first time in several years Jackie had suddenly found herself alone in the expansive Tyler mansion, bereft of even her begrudgingly tolerated not quite son-in-law's company.

So he'd only half-heartedly protested when she'd dragged him into the kitchen for a cuppa the moment he'd crossed the threshold that afternoon.

'Mum? Mum!'

Tony's frustrated voice sounded loudly from the hallway, the young boy apparently rather disgruntled that his mother hadn't appeared the second he'd arrived home.

'In here, darling,' Jackie called out.

Tony burst into the kitchen a moment later, school pack already half off his shoulder and wearing an exceptionally muddy football kit. He spared the Doctor a brief glance before jumping up onto the seat beside his mother.

He was practically bursting at the seams to deliver his news.

'Look at _this_ , Mum,' he directed proudly, rummaging around in his backpack. 'Look what Katie gave me!'

The Doctor smirked slightly as he recalled that Tony hadn't seemed anywhere near this enthused when he'd arrived home from his first day of school last week. He wondered what had happened today to result in this unprecedented level of excitement for school. Jackie seemed equally perplexed as she waited patiently for Tony to show her what he'd brought home.

A bedraggled Pete appeared in the kitchen then, holding Tony's football kit bag and looking rather apologetic. He dumped the boy's kit bag by the table and moved to kiss Jackie hello.

'Sorry, we're late,' he mumbled into her ear, as he sat down beside her. 'Tony absolutely refused to shower after practice. Had a right proper tantrum because he wanted to come home and show you this "news" of his. So he's grounded. Honestly, Jacks, I thought he was going to run all the way home by himself if I didn't give in. He's just been an absolute nightmare this afternoon,' Pete finished wearily.

The Doctor smiled wanly, he certainly didn't envy Pete his afternoon in the least. It sounded as though it had been a disaster. Before he could say anything though, Tony recaptured their attention as he succeeded in liberating his prized possession from his homework folder, placing it reverently in front of Jackie.

'See, Mum. It's the Doctor!'

Bizarrely, Tony had pulled out the latest copy of _OK!_ Magazine.

Leaning forward, the Doctor blinked in surprise as he recognised his own face staring back up at him from the garish front cover. He'd been papped outside Canary Wharf, looking distracted as he spoke into his mobile phone and paced the forecourt. He'd been waiting to meet Pete for lunch.

Glancing at the headline, he frowned as he read it. In giant red letters it screamed: _Has Rose Tyler finally settled down?_ And below that, in small print at the edge of the picture: _Is this the man who's captured her heart? See page 3._

Pulling the magazine across the table the Doctor flipped it open to examine page three. Several more pap shots of him covered the double spread, most of them from his lunch meeting with Pete. He scanned the article rapidly, his brow furrowing the more he read. The author of the article had clearly let her imagination get the better of her because she'd managed to infer all number of scenarios from the five photos that accompanied her article.

Not least of which was that somehow he'd gotten Rose Tyler pregnant.

Apparently Rose's conspicuous absence from public life over the past two months, combined with a photograph where Pete had been caught frowning at something the Doctor had said over lunch, was strong evidence now " _that the Vitex heiress is likely pregnant"_.

He rolled his eyes, dismissing the article irritably. It was simply another in a long line of ridiculous stories that had sprung up over the last few weeks now that he'd begun to venture out into London. It bothered him that they'd dragged Rose's name into it though. Until now, most of the articles had assumed that he was a Vitex business partner staying with the Tyler family.

That no longer appeared to be the case.

Sighing, he looked up to find himself alone with Pete in the kitchen, Jackie having somehow managed to take Tony off for a bath without him noticing.

Pete eyed the magazine distastefully.

'Tony should have known better than to bring that rubbish home,' he murmured. 'He's grown up in this world of ours so he knows that what's written in the papers isn't always true or nice. He understands how hurtful the articles can be. Heaven knows there have been enough articles about Rose over the years that I wish had never gone to print.'

Pete glanced up, searching out his gaze.

'But you're new, you see, Doctor,' he continued wearily, loosening his tie as he spoke. 'He's never seen your picture in the paper before and he thought the rule was different because it was _you_. Not Rose or Mum or me. He knows better now. And for the record, he's very sorry that he's upset you.'

The Doctor frowned, watching as Pete moved to fetch two wine glasses from the cabinet.

'I'm not upset, Pete.'

Rose's father turned back to face him, pouring out the wine and pushing one towards the Doctor. His raised eyebrow revealed his scepticism.

'Alright,' the Doctor amended, taking a sip of the sweet red wine. 'I suppose I am...' he paused, searching for the correct word to describe his emotions, '... _frustrated_. What right do they have to drag Rose's name though the mud like that? Implying that...that she might be... _pregnant_...and then suggesting she'd have to hide it from you if she was!'

He stumbled over his words, slightly uncomfortable with discussing this particular topic with Pete Tyler. The man simply smiled knowingly though, and the Doctor took another sip of his wine. The earthy flavours lingered on his palate, calming him substantially.

'Sorry,' he mumbled eventually, slightly ashamed by his outburst.

'What for? You're perfectly entitled to feel the way you do. God knows, Jacks and I feel the same way. We're just better at hiding it now. Unfortunately, it _is_ something you'll have to get used to with this family, Doctor.'

His tone was deceptively calm, but the message was clear: _don't expect it to change._

The Doctor gazed at Pete Tyler. It was hard to believe that this was the same man who'd once struggled to accept the possibility of Rose's existence. Yet now he sat before him, her staunchest defender. Pete's fears were unfounded though. He'd made his choice a long time ago.

'I'm not going anywhere, Pete.'

'Good man,' Pete replied lightly, his relief evident. 'Jackie assured me you were here for the long haul, but I had to ask.'

He shrugged embarrassedly.

'You know how it is, Doctor: fathers and daughters, mothers and sons.'

The Doctor smiled wanly. Parenthood wasn't quite the same on Gallifrey as it was on Earth, but he thought he understood what Pete was saying. Regardless of how absent he'd been in his children's lives, he'd still loved them.

'Now,' Pete said briskly, steering the conversation back to safer ground, 'my lawyers will keep an eye on our paparazzi friends. We're a little less tolerant of them over here, so if they cross any lines we'll take an injunction out against them.'

He sighed, sharing a grim smile with Pete. He'd been aware of the public interest surrounding the Tyler family, but it was only now, with his own picture adorning a gossip rag, that he truly began to understand the implications of Rose's minor celebrity status. To be honest, the prospect terrified him a little bit, but it was nice to know that he had the Tyler's on his side.

'It's a pity they managed to get that shot of you though,' the Doctor said jokingly, nudging the magazine back towards Pete. 'You do look awfully like the "disgruntled father-in-law". Did my decision really upset you that much?' he added after a beat, genuinely curious.

They'd had lunch together that day because Pete had wanted to offer him employment at Torchwood.

Pete laughed, shaking his head.

'You can't blame me for trying, Doctor,' he said good-naturedly. 'The way Rose describes it you'd be a phenomenal asset to Torchwood. And like I said, the conditions of your employment would be entirely up to you.'

The Doctor smiled indulgently, taking a final sip of his wine.

His answer wasn't going to change.

o0o

The Doctor stared at his laces, scuffing his worn red Converses against the edge of the footpath. He was sat outside Tony's school, impatiently awaiting the release of the Year One class so that he could walk the youngest Tyler home.

He wasn't entirely sure how this had come about.

At some point between breakfast and leaving to explore the West End for the day, he'd agreed to pick Tony up from school that afternoon. Rassilon only knew what had possessed him to say yes to such an endeavour. Even with his new state of humanity he still struggled with the concept of "domestic". After all, there was a vast difference between playing with Tony in the backyard and being entirely responsible for him for one afternoon.

A concept he wasn't entirely sure he'd grasped.

Jackie had been the one to suggest the ludicrous idea though, so he reasoned she wouldn't really have entrusted Tony to him unless she was absolutely certain that he'd be capable of returning her child home safely. Although after the way she'd turned up her nose at his babysitting credentials, he wasn't sure how his name had even made it onto the weekly pickup roster.

Somehow he doubted he'd ever come to understand the inner workings of Jackie Tyler's mind.

Terrified that he'd be late to pick Tony up, he'd overcompensated spectacularly and arrived a full ninety minutes early. Now he was bored out of his mind as he attempted to resist the urge to take a walk around the block. He knew that if he got up off the courtesy bench he was occupying there was every chance that he'd wander off and miss the pickup time.

And if that happened, he had absolutely no delusions over how Jackie would react.

So he stayed put, listing happy prime numbers idly to himself as he waited for half two to come around. It wasn't long before cars began to appear, lining up in an orderly fashion along the side of the road as mothers and fathers arrived to collect their offspring. Car doors opened and closed as the occupants of said vehicles spilled out onto the footpath, the parents grouping together to discuss children and gossip.

'Is this your first time?'

The Doctor snapped his head up to find a tall, blonde woman stood before him. She was dressed in an expensive looking charcoal grey skirt suit, the car keys to the latest Mercedes-Benz S-Class dangling proudly from her oversized hand bag.

'What?' the Doctor stammered, his thoughts still occupied by happy prime numbers.

The woman raised a solitary eyebrow, not in the least bit troubled by his rudeness.

'Your first time doing the school run,' she elaborated.

It took him a moment to realise what she was talking about but when he did, he grinned delightedly. Talking to this newcomer was much more interesting than reciting happy primes.

'Yep,' he answered enthusiastically, popping the "p". 'How'd you know?'

'You've got that look about you,' she confided. 'The "new Dad" look.'

The Doctor blinked.

'He's not...I'm not...'

He stopped talking abruptly as the woman sat down next to him, her thigh brushing against his own as she invaded his personal space. Her hand came to rest just above his knee, squeezing gently as she continued on as though he hadn't spoken.

'You'll get used to it soon enough. I'm Jane, by the way,' she added, leaning forward to air kiss him. 'Dylan's mum.'

She glanced at him expectantly and he realised she was waiting for him to reciprocate.

'Oh...I'm...John,' he said lamely, attempting a polite smile and failing abysmally. 'Tony's...' he trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably as he struggled to put a name to what he was. Brother-in-law was probably the closest to being an accurate descriptor, but he was hardly going to tell Jane that. He hadn't even asked Rose yet.

Jane seemed satisfied with his answer though and he wondered if she'd once again incorrectly assumed he was Tony's father. He was considering correcting the point when she reached over to finger the lapel of his suit jacket.

'Is this wool?' she gushed. 'It looks _divine_. And this cut is _gorgeous_ on you.'

The Doctor preened. It was the first time he'd worn this suit in public, the brown pinstripes almost identical to the suit he'd favoured in the other universe. Somehow, even though it wasn't the original suit with its transdimensional pockets, the familiar brown left him feeling much more like himself than he had in a long time.

His musings were interrupted as Jane reached across him to fiddle with his tie. The Doctor frowned. She was behaving very strangely, this new acquaintance of his.

'Look, Jane,' he said carefully, subtly putting some space between them as he loosened her grip on his tie. 'Have we met before?'

Her behaviour confused him. He was certain they'd never met before but from the way she'd greeted him he couldn't be certain. Perhaps he'd met her at Torchwood?

'Oh, I think I'd have remembered you if we'd met before, honey,' she promised him.

Her gaze travelled over him suggestively, causing the Doctor to fidget in discomfort. He moved to occupy the final four inches of courtesy bench that remained to him on his left, safely putting himself out of Jane's reach without violating his self instated rule to not wander off.

'Funny you should mention honey,' he babbled nervously, hoping to steer the conversation back into safer territory. 'Did you know that honey is the only food in the universe that contains all of the substances necessary to sustain life? Every enzyme you could ever possibly need mixed in with a delicious cocktail of all the necessary minerals and vitamins to ensure life goes on. And water of course. Can't have life without water, you know? That's what had you lot so excited over Mars a few years back. Bit of frozen ice and the humans think they've got the universe explained. Mind you, _I_ could have told you there was life on Mars if you'd –'

His rambling was rather succinctly cut off as Jane lunged towards him, her lips crashing against his own with brutal force.

He was so surprised it took him several seconds to recognise the assault for what it was before he managed to push her away. He was breathing heavily, his thoughts all over the place as he stared in bewilderment at the woman beside him.

'What did you do that for?'

Jane rolled her eyes as she straightened herself up, looking thoroughly put out.

'Oh don't be so naïve,' she sneered. 'You were asking for it. Those big sad eyes and that sappy look? You _wanted_ me.'

'What!?' he spluttered.

'Understandable, really,' she continued obliviously. 'You could do so much better than that jumped up tart Rose Tyler. God knows what gutter Pete Tyler dragged her out of, but she certainly doesn't belong with us. The chav wouldn't know a Bentley if it ran her over. It's a wonder –'

'If I were you,' the Doctor interrupted coldly, 'I'd think very, _very_ carefully about whether or not it's worth finishing that sentence.'

His tone left no room for misinterpretation.

'Now,' he instructed calmly, 'you're going to pick up your ridiculous handbag, stand up, and walk to your car. You and I are never going to meet again.'

Jane complied, hastily gathering her belongings to herself before standing to leave. The woman was clearly unnerved, and rightly so. He stopped her once more before she could walk away though.

'One more thing, Jane _Barrow_ ,' he warned. 'If you _ever_ talk about Rose like that again, you will regret it. Is that understood?'

She flinched as he spoke her full name, undoubtedly unaware that he'd noticed it on the envelope peeking out from her handbag. Nevertheless she nodded, acquiescing to his demands. The Doctor watched her scamper back to her shiny new car, scowling as her revolting description of Rose played over in his mind.

'How come you were talking to Dylan's mum?'

The Doctor startled, turning back to find Tony Tyler stood before him, school bag slung clumsily across one shoulder and his blazer rumpled around his shoulders, as though he'd put it on quickly. He probably had. Smiling amusedly at his rather dishevelled companion, the Doctor straightened up the boy's blazer.

'Oh...you know...adult...stuff,' he hedged, relieving Tony of his school bag and slinging it onto his own shoulder as he stood up. Tony immediately reached for his hand, swinging it between them as he let the Doctor lead the way home.

'Dylan's not very nice,' Tony informed him matter-of-factly as they turned onto Crouch Street.

The Doctor wasn't in the least bit surprised to learn that.

'Neither is his mother,' he muttered under his breath.

o0o

Very few people had the Doctor's mobile number. In fact, he frequently forgot he owned one. It was only at Jackie's request that he'd agreed to carry one, and then only because he picked Tony up from school once a week.

So the fact that it was currently ringing meant he probably ought to pick it up.

Digging deep into the pocket of his blue suit, the Doctor pulled out the vibrating device.

He frowned as he read the caller ID.

'Hello, Jackie.'

' _You could at least pretend not to be disappointed,'_ came the sarcastic reply.

The Doctor rolled his eyes.

'I picked up, didn't I?'

Jackie huffed.

' _Pete wants to know if you can drop by the office as soon as possible –'_

'Why?' he interrupted.

' _Well you're still as rude as ever,'_ Jackie muttered indignantly. ' _I was about to tell you why, wasn't I?'_

'Sorry.'

' _Someone followed you and Tony home on Wednesday and took a whole lot of photos along the way. So Pete's pressing charges against the photographer, but he needs you to sign some documents as well. Is that okay?'_

'They published a picture with Tony in it?' the Doctor asked angrily.

' _Mmhmm,'_ Jackie agreed distractedly. ' _We think it might have been because someone had a bone to pick with you_.'

'What?'

'" _Jane Barrow",'_ Jackie replied, and he could hear the sound of pages rustling as she picked something up. ' _Do you know her?_ '

The Doctor frowned.

'What did she say about me? Did she say something about Rose?'

Jackie let out a snort of laughter, which only served to frustrate the Doctor.

'Jackie?' he ground out irritably.

' _She certainly didn't say anything about Rose,_ ' Jackie finally managed to reply, and the Doctor allowed himself to relax. ' _But she had more than a few things to say about you._ '

'I bet she did,' he muttered to himself, Jackie too busy reading the article aloud to hear him.

'"... _rude and dull. It's hard to see why the Vitex heiress would spend even a second in the company of this nobody." Honestly, what did you say to her?'_ Jackie asked in exasperation.

'Nothing!' the Doctor exclaimed, his voice jumping up an octave in protest.

' _Well I don't believe that,_ ' scoffed Jackie. ' _She said you were rude. That sounds just like you.'_

'I was only rude because she tried to...to... _proposition_ me,' he stammered lamely.

There was a moment's silence and then Jackie burst out laughing.

'Thanks, Jackie,' he replied sarcastically, holding the phone away from his ear slightly to protect his sensitive hearing. 'Glad to know you're on my side.'

' _Of course I'm on_ your _side, you plum,'_ Jackie replied immediately, startling the Doctor with her sincerity. ' _She sounds like a right piece of work, that woman. Fancy having a go at you whilst Rose is out of the picture. The nerve of some people.'_

The Doctor suppressed a smile. It had been a very long while since he'd had someone looking out for him. He'd forgotten how comforting it was.

' _You alright, sweetheart?'_

Jackie's concerned voice broke into his musings.

'Sorry, yes. When did you say I need to meet Pete?'

o0o

A week later the Doctor was in Oxford.

He'd always found the city university enthralling, and the opportunity to re-explore Oxford now was too tempting to pass up. London had had its fair share of differences and he expected nothing less in Oxford. He had fond memories of the college institutes that were the bread and butter of the city, not to mention Pete's universe boasted a thirty-ninth college that had never existed in his original universe.

He'd told Jackie he'd spend a day or two in the city, but now that he'd once again found himself in the Radcliffe Observatory Quarter he wasn't so sure. Two days seemed like an awfully short amount of time. And it wasn't as though he had any pressing commitments waiting for him back at the Tyler Estate. Well, apart from walking Tony home of course. But somehow he suspected Jackie would be fine with him missing this week's pick up after the fiasco with the media last Wednesday.

He'd simply wanted to get the vibe of the university again when he'd wandered into the Denys Wilkinson Building, home to Oxford's astrophysics and particle physics departments. He'd certainly had no intention of drawing attention to himself. After all, he'd had his fair share of unwanted attention in London. And he certainly hadn't planned on accidentally taking a graduate level theoretical astronomy lecture.

Apart from learning that Schrödinger's cat had in fact been Schrödinger's dog in this universe, he thought on the whole that the lecture had gone surprisingly well considering he'd deviated from the prescribed topic considerably. Although the students remained engaged listeners, as the two-hour mark passed by the Doctor began to wonder how long he was supposed to lecture for. Surely, at most, the lecture spot was a two hour block, but nobody seemed inclined to leave yet. Enthusiastic students were a rare commodity though so the Doctor supposed continuing to lecture was the least he could do for the absent lecturer who seemed to have nurtured such fierce passion for astronomy within his students.

He was about to launch into a theory of the origins of dark matter when he was interrupted.

'Alright young scholars, time to move along I should think. I'll be in all sorts of trouble if the Faculty think I've held you back late again!'

The Doctor froze as the painfully familiar voice resonated from the back corner of the classroom. Vainly he scanned the crowd for a glimpse of the man who he knew couldn't possibly be here, but the students had all stood up, blocking his view of the newcomer.

It seemed the absent Professor had snuck in unobserved.

'Prof! Prof!'

'You're back!'

'Did she have the baby?'

'Prof, you missed the lecture!'

'Are you a Grandfather now, Prof?'

The cacophony of questions exploded into the silence of the classroom as the students clamoured to greet their Professor. The Doctor paid the questions no mind though as the crowd finally parted and the lecturer stepped forward to join him by the podium.

Wilfred Mott stood before him.

For one bewildered moment the Doctor simply stared, and then he was stepping forward engulfing the man in an embrace. To his credit Wilfred accepted the gesture, albeit with great confusion.

'Steady on, lad,' the older man chuckled awkwardly, although he sounded genuinely concerned when he added quietly, 'everything alright?'

It was enough to remind the Doctor that this Wilfred Mott wasn't the Wilfred Mott he'd known. Embarrassedly he stepped away, rubbing nervously at the back of his hair. Wilfred held his gaze for a moment longer, seeming to see right through him before he returned his attention to his students.

'What's that you ask?' Wilfred quipped, feigning ignorance to his student's queries.

'Come on, Prof,' one of the students coaxed. 'You've _got_ to tell us.'

Wilfred made a show of pretending to consider the young man's request.

'Alright, alright, hold your horses,' he acquiesced.

Once again Wilfred broke off, milking his audience for all its worth. The Doctor suppressed a smile, amused by the older man's antics. The Wilfred he'd known had always had a flare for the dramatic as well.

'It is my absolute pleasure,' Wilfred continued after an appropriate pause, 'to inform you all that at two minutes past nine this morning my grandson was born.'

The classroom burst into cheers with one of the students leading a hearty round of three cheers for their Professor. Others clamoured around Wilfred, offering congratulations and asking after the newborn, but the Doctor paid them no mind too caught up in berating himself for not checking sooner. For Wilfred's words had reminded him of another person, another grandchild whom had once called Wilfred "Gramps".

Was it possible that Donna existed in this universe?

Logically he knew that any Donna Noble who resided in Pete's world would not be _his_ Donna Noble, but the possibility that his best mate might be alive and well in this universe was too tempting to ignore. He'd once warned Rose against the "gingerbread house" nature of parallel universes, but did the same rules still apply once you moved universes?

'Now then, lad. I think introductions are in order, don't you?'

The Doctor was startled out of his thoughts to find himself alone with Wilfred, the students having finally dispersed to their next classes.

'Wilfred Mott,' the older man declared, offering his hand for the Doctor to shake. 'But you already knew that didn't you?'

Stepping forward the Doctor accepted the firm handshake.

'Yes,' he answered simply.

Wilfred considered him for a moment.

'You're quite well versed on all manner of topics... _Doctor_. From string theory to dark matter, you certainly know your Physics.'

The Doctor raised an eyebrow, beginning to realise that this Wilfred Mott was just as shrewd, if not more so, than his counterpart from the other universe.

'You must have arrived not long after we'd started if you heard all that.'

'Oh, I can't stand being late,' Wilfred agreed lightly. 'Drives me mad when the students are tardy. Wouldn't be fair of me to have double standards now, would it?'

The Doctor frowned.

'You let me take the lecture,' he said slowly. 'Even though you were here all along. Why?'

Wilfred grinned, and for the first time the Doctor recognised a familiar spark in the man's blue eyes.

'"The one exclusive sign of thorough knowledge is the power of teaching".'

'So said Aristotle,' the Doctor replied confusedly. 'But that doesn't explain why you let me take your class.'

Wilfred chuckled.

'Doesn't it, Doctor?'

The question was clearly meant to be rhetorical because Wilfred offered no further explanation before continuing on after a momentary pause.

'I've spent my life attempting to understand the universe, Doctor. And do you know what I've learnt?'

The Doctor frowned at the non-sequitur.

'No?'

'That the only thing I truly know for certain is that I know almost nothing about the universe,' he confessed amusedly. 'But,' he continued after a deliberate pause, 'I _do_ know that it was Schrodinger's dog. Not cat.'

Wilfred's piercing blue eyes bored into the Doctor's searchingly.

'I think you know more about the universe than I will ever know in my entire lifetime, Doctor,' he said wisely. 'Yet you said Schrodinger's dog. Why is that?'

'Oh you know how it is,' the Doctor babbled nervously. 'Cats and dogs. Always getting the two mixed up. For instance, did you know that cats only have 30 teeth whereas dogs have 42? Never been much of a cat person though, me. They make terrible nuns. Dogs are much more social beings. Can carry a conversation for hours if you want. Not to mention they can scent Arachadin tomatoes from a mile away. Or is that mud crabs...,' he trailed off, trying to recall for certain.

'Or perhaps,' Wilfred cut in dryly, 'in your universe, Doctor, Schrodinger decided to use a cat.'

'What?'

All amusement vanished from his tone, the conversation suddenly serious as he stared in surprise at Wilfred Mott.

'I didn't mention that I used to know Pete Tyler quite well, did I?' Wilfred offered calmly, unfazed by the abrupt change in tone.

'No.'

'I knew Jackie Tyler as well,' Wilfred continued easily. 'The Jackie Tyler who was born in this universe, of course,' he added matter-of-factly.

The Doctor had no idea what to say to that, simply too stunned by Wilfred's frankness. So wisely he said nothing.

'Naturally,' Wilfred continued, 'I was greatly saddened to learn of her death the night Lumic went mad in London. I spoke with Pete not long afterwards. He was devastated, despite the distance that had grown between the pair of them. So forgive me for remaining rather sceptical when Jackie and Rose Tyler arrived out of the blue two years later.

'The cover story Torchwood invented was certainly a masterpiece,' he conceded. 'The perfect amount of truth to make the lie believable to the general public. But I know Pete Tyler. We've spoken many times in the past, and the way our personal lives played out, well, we had a fair amount in common. I never believed for one moment that Rose Tyler was his daughter.'

'Rose is Pete Tyler's daughter,' the Doctor murmured.

Not only was it the truth, but he was curious to see how much Wilfred really knew.

'Oh, of that I have no doubt, Doctor,' the older man agreed. 'But she is not the Pete Tyler of _this_ universe's daughter. You see Pete and I often spoke about children. He wanted very much to have a child, but Jackie was less certain. His desire was no deception, Doctor. Until Tony arrived, Pete had never fathered a child. No matter what the Torchwood briefing says. I know that for certain because he'd even considered adoption at one stage. It's not something one considers lightly, Doctor, which is why Pete often found himself in discussion with me.

'My wife and I were unable to have any children of our own,' Wilfred explained, correctly interpreting the Doctor's confused expression. 'My career and unlucky circumstances meant we waited too long. But we both wanted desperately to have a child, so instead we adopted my wonderful daughter, Cecily. And today, she's made me the luckiest man in the universe because she's brought my grandson into the world.'

Wilfred's joy for his newborn grandson was infectious, and although the subsequent understanding that the child's birth meant neither Sylvia nor Donna existed in this universe, the Doctor found himself smiling in spite of himself.

'Congratulations, Wilfred,' he offered generously. 'I'm certain you'll make him proud.'

The older man ducked his head in embarrassment, emotions not quite under control after such a tumultuous morning. He took a few seconds to gather himself before clearing his throat and raising his gaze.

'Now then, Doctor, how long will you be in Oxford for?'

o0o

In his haste to set out and explore Oxford the Doctor had neglected to book any accommodation in the city. For a man who'd always had a TARDIS with him it hadn't even occurred to him that he'd needed to. The concept of planning where he wanted to be on a given day, weeks in advance, was an entirely foreign one. It was only when Wilfred asked where he was staying in Oxford that the Doctor realised his oversight.

Learning that he had nowhere to go, Wilfred had only been too happy to invite the Doctor into his own home after an afternoon of lively discussion. In fact, he'd refused to take no for an answer and had absolutely rebuffed any attempt to discuss monetary compensation. He was adamant that the only payment he could possibly accept was knowledge, for he'd spent a lifetime working in the fields of astronomy and astrophysics, and the temptation to discuss his theories on parallel worlds with a man who actually hailed from another universe was simply too great an opportunity for the old scholar to pass up.

Wilfred had always had notions that such parallel worlds must exist, ideas nurtured by his career and insight into the Torchwood Institute. Not to mention his acquaintance with the Tyler family had led him to question the reappearance of Jackie Tyler, and the arrival of both Rose Tyler and John Smith. After all, people simply didn't appear out of thin air he'd reasoned.

And when the stars had started disappearing, well Wilfred had known something monumental was at play.

For his part the Doctor enjoyed hearing Wilfred's theories, impressed by the astuteness of his new friend. At first, he had to admit it had been disconcerting talking with the older man. There was no denying the similarities between the Wilfred of his home universe and this new man he was just beginning to know, but the longer they spoke together the more the Doctor began to see them as individuals.

Wilfred still had his wife, Margaret, in this universe, and he was a lighter man for it. Not that Wilf hadn't been happy in the other universe, but there was something about losing a spouse that changed people. And although there was no Sylvia or Donna in this Wilfred's life, he had Cecily and his new grandson. His love for which was evident even from the short amount of time the Doctor had known him.

He wasn't the same Wilfred he'd once known, but he was a _good man_.

So when Wilfred asked to hear his story, the Doctor did not lie.

o0o

'About time you showed up.'

The Doctor cringed as the kitchen lights flicked on. He'd been attempting to sneak in through the back door of the Tyler mansion without waking the family. Clearly he'd been unsuccessful.

'Jackie!' he greeted, his voice cracking much to his dismay as he turned to face her. 'What are you doing up?'

She ignored him, arms crossing defensively over her fluffy pink dressing gown as she stared him down.

'Two days, you said. "I'll be back before you know it, Jackie",' she mimicked horribly.

The Doctor cringed, recalling his promise.

'Ahh, yes,' he faltered. 'About that. You see, Jackie –'

'Don't even bother,' she interrupted angrily. 'I don't want to hear what silly excuse you've made up for me. Six days, Doctor. Six bloody days...and you didn't even...you just...'

She broke off suddenly, whirling around and rushing out of the kitchen.

The Doctor stared after her in bewilderment, utterly confused by her behaviour. He ran a hand through his hair as he replayed the conversation in his head, trying to work out what had set her off. She'd looked upset right before she'd disappeared from the kitchen, but he had no idea why. Realising he'd clearly stuffed up, he followed after her.

He didn't have to go very far to find her. She was in the hallway outside the kitchen, sitting slumped against the wall.

She'd been crying.

'Jackie...?' he called tentatively, approaching her with all the caution one usually reserved for dangerous beasts.

She said nothing so he moved to sit next to her, hugging his knees against his chest as he sat in the semi-dark corridor with Rose's mother, content to wait her out. As expected, after several minutes of silence she finally spoke.

'You didn't even call,' she said quietly, her voice stuffy from crying. 'You could have been dead and I wouldn't even have known.'

'Me, dead?' he quipped lightly, falling back on humour. 'Nah. I wouldn't dare, Jackie Tyler.'

'Don't joke about it,' she snapped, surprising him with the seriousness of her tone. ''S'not like it can't happen. You might just disappear one day and I'd never know. I'd just be sat here waiting for you to come back.'

'Jackie,' he replied exasperatedly. 'I was in Oxford. That's all, I swear. Not even two hours up the road.'

She took a shaky breath in, turning to face him properly for the first time since he'd joined her.

'I know,' she admitted. 'But I couldn't stop worrying...first Rose...and now you...and I...I just wanted to know you were alright,' she finished softly.

'Oh.'

Rassilon, he was thick.

'I'm sorry, Jackie,' he murmured earnestly. 'I've never been very good at this sort of thing. Domestics and family, you know. In fact, I'm pretty rubbish at it to be honest. Was back on Gallifrey as well, but so was everyone else so it didn't really matter. Anyway,' he said abruptly, getting back on topic, 'I forgot to take the phone charger with me. But that's not really an excuse. Truth is I'm too used to being on my own.'

He lapsed into silence, surprised by his own honesty.

Jackie smiled softly.

'You've got Rose now,' she reminded him gently. 'Even if it doesn't seem like it at the moment.'

They both chuckled a little at that. But then Jackie was speaking again, her tone uncharacteristically vulnerable as she ploughed on determinedly.

'And you'll always have me and Pete,' she promised. 'If you want that is?'

His grin could have split the world in half.

'Jackie Tyler, I'd be honoured.'

He let the words hang in the air for a moment before jumping to his feet excitedly.

'Now, what say you to a cup of tea before bed?' he suggested, obligingly extending his hand to her. 'I've got some news I want to share with you.'

'That doesn't sound half ominous,' Jackie huffed, accepting his hand up.

The Doctor shot her an impish grin in reply, leading the way into the kitchen.

'By the way,' he added over his shoulder as he searched around for the tea leaves, 'how did you know it was me coming in down here? Could have been an axe murderer for all you knew.'

Incredulously, Jackie laughed.

'I heard your taxi come up the drive, you plum. Wasn't half loud. And who else but you would try to sneak in at half one in the morning? Honestly,' she scoffed, half in amusement, half in exasperation.

The Doctor rolled his eyes, turning back to the kettle he'd just boiled.

'What's this news of yours then?' Jackie prompted.

He paused midway through filling the teapot, the kitchen suddenly stiflingly silent.

'I've been offered a job,' he said quietly.

He couldn't quite make himself turn around to face Jackie, too nervous of what he'd find if he did. So he spilled the whole story in one nervous ramble, back resolutely straight as he stared at the contents of the teapot. It was over in a matter of minutes.

'So you're moving to Oxford then?' Jackie asked softly, breaking the silence that had followed his announcement.

'No,' he breathed, finally summoning the courage to turn back. 'Not to Oxford. Not yet at any rate. It's not even a job yet. Just an offer really. An expression of interest, I suppose. I haven't said yes to anything. Wilfred's just said he'll put me in contact with a few of his colleagues if I'm serious. And I am, I think. I liked it, Jackie,' he admitted. 'Teaching and lecturing. It's a chance to do something constructive. Something meaningful,' he finished earnestly.

When he finally raised his gaze to meet Jackie's, he found her smiling fondly at him.

'Best to sleep on it,' she advised sagely, reaching forward to give his arm a slight squeeze. 'Goodnight, Doctor.'

He watched her disappear off back upstairs before deciding that just this once he'd heed Jackie Tyler's advice.


	4. October

Several days had passed since Wilfred's unexpected job offer, yet the Doctor remained undecided. He'd done as Jackie had suggested and slept on the idea, but to no avail. He couldn't disregard the notion that he was overlooking something. Some significant variable that refused to be ignored, that _needed_ to be factored into his decision. But for the life of him he could not pinpoint what it was.

He was missing the bigger picture, and he knew it.

Briefly he wondered if this new found short-sightedness had something to do with Donna, but he dismissed the idea almost as quickly as it had formed. If he was being honest with himself, he'd always had a propensity to miss the obvious. He still remembered how silly he'd felt when he'd failed to notice the London Eye in front of Rose. In his defence he _had_ had an awful lot to keep track of in his mind at the time, but it was a reminder that sometimes he _did_ miss the obvious.

Although this time, he wasn't sure it _was_ so obvious.

At first he'd thought the nagging sense of unease had been because of Rose's absence. It didn't seem right that he should make such a momentous decision without her. But he'd realised that wasn't the case at all.

Although he'd have loved her input – she always seemed to know just the right thing to say to help him through a difficult decision – he knew he was perfectly capable of making _this_ decision _without her_. In fact, he suspected it was _important_ that he make this decision on his own. He'd been plagued by self-doubt since he'd arrived in Pete's universe, but he knew if he could do this by himself, then he could do anything. After all, one didn't get much more domestic than picking a career to pursue for one's lifetime.

Rose wasn't the answer this time, but it was frustrating to think that she'd probably be able to tell him exactly what he'd overlooked in a heartbeat.

Distractedly, he ran a hand through his untamed hair and glanced towards his desk. Tinkering had always helped him focus his mind in the past, perhaps now it would help him order his thoughts and make a decision. Pulling out his desk chair he contemplated the dozens of half completed projects that littered the surface of his desk. He had a terrible habit of getting distracted and leaving things half done, he realised wryly.

Picking up the closest object he fiddled with it idly. It was a small cube, the sides an opaque grey colouring, and roughly the size of a tennis ball. One of the six sides had been removed, revealing the complex network of wires and circuitry he'd been working on. The device, a holographic interface that he planned to upload pictures onto, was for Tony. Essentially, it was a virtual photo album for the boy, with one added bonus: it was based on an old Gallifreyan design. The pictures would be three-dimensional.

He'd stopped working on it several weeks ago. It'd been late at night at the time and the circuitry had been playing up. No matter how intently he'd scrutinised the connections he hadn't been able to work out where he'd gone wrong. After all, it had been a very long time since he'd last built a photo cube for someone. Putting his mistake down to forgetfulness and fatigue, he'd set the project aside for another day.

Casting a glance into the exposed circuitry now, he immediately spotted the mistake he'd previously missed. It was a rudimentary error, and one that would take seconds to correct. Swapping around the incorrectly positioned wires he located the sixth side of the cube and slotted it back into place to complete the device. A quick buzz with his sonic to tighten the connections, and the photo cube would be finished. His blue jacket was hanging on the back of his chair, so he reached blindly behind him and into the inner pocket, expecting to find his screwdriver.

But he hadn't worn the jacket in over a week.

Instead his questing fingers brushed against something warm and familiar, and he felt his breath leave him in surprise. Without further thought he tightened his grip on the object and withdrew it from his pocket.

For several long minutes he simply stared at the object in his hands, unable to believe that _this_ was what he'd forgotten.

Ever so slowly he leant forwards, resting his forehead against the lump of TARDIS coral, allowing himself to lose himself in her presence. She was the last piece of Gallifrey that belonged to him. His lifelong companion.

And he'd neglected her.

Circumstances had forced his hand in a way. He'd been distracted adjusting to life in Pete's world, a period of time complicated by attempting to cope with Rose's disappearance and relearning who he was. He hadn't forgotten the TARDIS, but he certainly hadn't prioritised her. As he reached out to her, reuniting and rejoicing in her presence once again, he made himself a promise: never again would he take her presence for granted.

He'd made his decision.

o0o

'You only had to ask, you know.'

The Doctor startled guiltily as Pete's voice sounded from the doorway.

Once he'd decided to accept Wilfred's job offer he'd gone straight to Pete's study. Rose's father had still been at work and Jackie had been downstairs supervising Tony's homework, so he'd had no qualms about sneaking into the man's study. After all, the room held the only computer that was linked to Torchwood's servers, and it was access to those servers that he'd required. He hadn't intended to be caught red-handed though.

Swivelling the desk chair around, the Doctor found himself face to face with Pete Tyler.

'I didn't think you'd be home so soon,' he said lamely.

It was just his luck that the one time he'd decided to break into Pete's office coincided with the day Pete decided to leave work early.

Pete chuckled.

'I may have received a tip off to head home early,' he admitted, closing his office door behind him.

The Doctor frowned, eyeing Pete speculatively as the other man moved to sit on the couch by the office window.

'I've heard enough stories about you over the years now, Doctor, to not be in the least bit surprised to have found you breaking into my home office. So I had Tosh set up a few extra security measures when you came back,' he explained. 'Figured I probably wouldn't be able to stop you, but I'd at least know about it when it happened.'

The Doctor had the good grace to look at least somewhat chastened. Although mostly because he'd been caught out as opposed to feeling any true guilt over hacking Torchwood's servers.

'In fact,' Pete continued, 'I expected you to try weeks ago. So the question is: do I need to be worried?'

The Doctor blinked.

'Worried?' he echoed, nonplussed.

Now Pete looked confused.

'I assumed, given your dislike for Torchwood, that only an emergency would lead you to access our resources,' he said slowly. 'Clearly, I was wrong.'

The Doctor ran a hand nervously through his hair.

'Well,' he began, dragging the word out, 'you're not entirely wrong, Pete. It _is_ an emergency. Of sorts. _Technically_. Although probably more of a "personal" emergency rather than a "world ending" one,' he finished helpfully.

Pete let out a weary sigh in defeat, loosening his tie as he did so.

'Go on then. What's this emergency of yours, Doctor?'

Turning the desktop screen towards Pete, he brought up the program he'd been perusing before Pete had found him.

'I'm looking for somewhere to grow the TARDIS.'

Pete studied the screen silently, his brow furrowing the longer he read.

'That's all of our data on rift activity within the Republic from the past century.'

'Yep,' he agreed, leaning forwards to pull up a different image.

'Now you've extrapolated the data to create a geographical representation of rift activity across the Republic,' Pete observed, eying the map of Britain curiously.

'Yep.'

With one final click the Doctor brought up the image he'd been in the process of examining when he'd been interrupted.

'Same data,' Pete said quietly, 'but now you've added the universities Wilfred suggested...'

He trailed off, turning his gaze onto the Doctor.

'You've accepted.'

The Doctor nodded.

'I have,' he answered seriously, oddly nervous of Pete's reaction.

The man took a moment to process the words, his expression eerily blank, but then he smiled.

'Well, I'll be sorry to see you go, Doctor,' he said genuinely. 'You'll be sorely missed around here.'

'Thank you.'

'There is one thing though, that for the life of me I can't understand,' Pete added. 'Why on Earth are you looking for the university with the most rift activity around it?'

The Doctor laughed.

'Well, I can't very well grow my TARDIS without access to the rift now, can I?'

Pete groaned, dropping his head into his hands, much to the Doctor's amusement. He thought he had a pretty good idea about what was going through the other man's mind.

'Don't worry, Pete,' he said earnestly. 'I promise I won't stir up any trouble with the rift.'

He paused.

'Well, not deliberately,' he added.

Pete scoffed.

'Well, definitely not without a very good reason,' he amended.

For some reason this didn't seem to reassure Pete at all.

'I'm going to have to open a second branch of Torchwood, aren't I?'

o0o

To celebrate his forthcoming employment, Jackie had insisted on hosting a small dinner party to mark the occasion. After all, it wasn't everyday that her alien not quite son-in-law found himself gainful employment. Plus she'd been desperate for an excuse to meet Wilfred from the moment she'd learnt he'd made a friend in Pete's universe.

Wilfred and Margaret arrived at the Tyler Mansion on Friday evening, having made the trek into London once classes had finished for the day. They planned to visit a few of Wilfred's London-based colleagues the next morning so Jackie had offered them rooms at the mansion for the evening, which the pair had gratefully accepted.

The Doctor had met the pair enthusiastically at the door, taking great pride in introducing them to the Tyler family. Tony, wearing his Arsenal jersey proudly despite his mother's insistence that he put on a set of good clothes for their visitors, had been delighted to learn that Wilfred was an Arsenal fan. The brief discussion of the football club that ensued, earned Wilfred a spot in Tony's good books for life. Having satisfied his curiosity, Tony had then disappeared upstairs to play with his toys until dinner time, leaving the adults free to talk.

Wilfred and Pete had needed no introductions, falling easily into conversation as old friends were wont to do. The Doctor had lingered by Jackie and Margaret, fervently hoping that the pair of them would get on. He needn't have worried in the slightest. By the time they sat down for dinner Jackie had shared half a dozen embarrassing stories about him with Margaret, much to his horror.

The meal had passed in a blur of good conversation and better company, and for the most part he'd slipped easily between the conversations, delighted to be surrounded by his surrogate families. Twice he'd lapsed into unnatural silence, reminded of who was missing at the table.

_Everyone except Rose_.

He'd felt her absence keenly throughout the night, but for the most part he'd kept on top of it by reminding himself that he believed in her. She _would_ come home. Plus Tony had a knack for drawing him back into conversation.

As the evening drew to its natural close, Wilfred joined him by the fireplace. They'd moved from the dining room into the living room for drinks once the meal had finished, and now they were alone. Jackie had long ago taken Tony up to bed and Margaret had followed not long after, wanting an early night. At some point Pete had disappeared into the kitchen to get a head start on the washing up, perhaps sensing that Wilfred wanted to talk shop.

'Have you decided then, lad?'

The Doctor broke his gaze away from the mesmerising flames to face Wilfred.

'Exeter,' he said quietly. 'I'd like to work there.'

Wilfred grinned.

'I'd hoped you might pick there,' he said cheerfully. 'Charles has been driving me mad for the past week because he hasn't been able to find anyone to fill the position. Not only is Professor Hurley retiring now, but one of their younger staff members is taking maternity leave. Poor fellow has been at his wit's end trying to manage the Physics department.'

'Well, I'm glad I'll be of use,' the Doctor laughed.

'Exeter will be proud to have you, lad,' Wilfred agreed, pausing to take a sip of his whiskey tumbler. 'I'll contact Charles in the morning. But be warned, Doctor. He'll probably want you to start on Monday. Would that be possible?'

'That should be fine.'

It would mean he'd have to sort out his living arrangements more quickly than he'd anticipated, but he knew the sooner he could start, the happier the university would be. After all, classes had already been running for a month and a half now, and he knew that the students would be starting to worry about their upcoming midterm assessments. If he was going to be entrusted with a class for an entire year he wanted as much time as he could to build rapport with them. He'd seen the interest and excitement Wilfred had nurtured in his pupils, and he wanted that as well.

'I think I might call it a night,' Wilfred announced, interrupting his musings. The older man finished his whiskey with a flourish and stood, clapping the Doctor on the back as he moved to leave the room.

'It's been an absolute pleasure, Doctor, but I'm afraid I don't quite have the same stamina for late nights anymore.'

He winked conspiratorially as he made his way out of the living room.

'Do you think I should have waited for Rose to come home?'

The question slipped out before the Doctor could think about it, falling clumsily into the silence of the room as it caught Wilfred short of the door. The older man did not turn, and the Doctor cursed his unchecked gob. After all, Wilfred had never met Rose. What could he possibly know about the situation? He felt like an idiot because he knew instinctively that this was not a question for his guest. Before he could retract the question though, Wilfred turned around.

'Do _you_ think you should have waited for her, lad?'

The Doctor blinked in surprise as Wilfred turned the question around on him. Nevertheless the answer came instantly.

'No.'

The older man smiled wistfully.

'There you have it then,' he said simply.

He shrugged and made to leave again. But once again he stopped short of the door, turning back suddenly to face the Doctor.

'Far be it for me to comment on your relationship with Ms Tyler,' he said earnestly, albeit half apologetically. 'But I do know one thing, Doctor. If she loves you _,_ even a tenth as much as you love her, then _your_ happiness will be _her_ happiness.'

Having said his piece, Wilfred touched his knuckle to his forehead in a gesture of goodwill and left the Doctor alone with his thoughts. It was a long time before the Doctor followed in his friend's footsteps and retired to bed.

o0o

'Oh, now that's hideous!'

For the second time in as many days the Doctor started as he was caught unawares in Pete's office. Although he'd gained permission from Pete this time, he hadn't intended for Jackie to find him midway through his reconnaissance of the local real estate in Exeter.

'Hello, Jackie,' he greeted sarcastically, adding under his breath, 'what are the chances?'

'I heard that,' she said pointedly, pulling the spare chair out from the corner.

As she busied herself with the chair he subtly angled the computer screen away from her, hoping to discourage her curiosity.

'Of course you did,' he muttered as she gestured for him to move over so she could place her chair next to him. 'Is there something I can do for you?'

Having positioned herself, she deftly straightened out the computer screen.

'You aren't seriously thinking of buying this place are you?' she said idly, as though he'd asked her opinion of the property. 'The owner must have been colour blind to have picked that colour scheme!'

'Jackie –'

He was cut off as she leant over to commandeer the mouse from him, pulling up the next property listing without so much as a by your leave.

'That bathroom is awful,' she declared, the mouse clicking loudly in the silence as she flicked through the list of properties he'd pulled up. 'Is that the master bedroom? You wouldn't fit a single bed in there, let alone a double.'

_Click_.

'Rose won't like this one.'

_Click._

' _You_ won't like this one.'

_Click._

'Hmm. This one's alright, but too small. You'll want at least three spare bedrooms.'

_Click._

'Jackie –,' he tried again, but once again she ignored him.

'Did you put any filters into this search?'

The Doctor opened his mouth, then shut it promptly as he realised he _hadn't_ specified any filters.

'That's _completely_ beside the point,' he countered irritably, but Jackie was not to be deterred. She continued to click through the listings with an ease that astonished him, and he wondered why he hadn't simply asked for her help in the first place. He'd already wasted an hour on the website, and since Wilfred had called earlier that morning to confirm that Exeter wanted him to start on Monday he really couldn't afford to spend all day looking for a house.

The only reason he hadn't asked for her input immediately was because he was worried she'd be angry with him. She'd seemed happy for him when she'd learnt of his job offer, but he still remembered how upset she'd been when he'd stayed those extra few days in Oxford without telling her. How would she take the news that he was moving away to Exeter? He'd often been accused of being oblivious to human feelings in the past, but not this time. He still remembered her tears.

'Are you angry with me?'

The thought escaped without his permission, surprising him as much as Jackie. She stopped clicking and looked at him, genuinely shocked.

'Why would I be angry with you?'

He shrugged uselessly, only perplexing Jackie further.

'Apart from the bit where you forgot to mention you were buying a house, why would I be angry, Doctor?'

He frowned. Her words didn't match her tone. She sounded honestly curious.

'So, you are angry?' he asked hesitantly, needing to clarify because this was definitely dangerous territory for him. He could sense a Tyler slap lurking nearby.

Jackie rolled her eyes.

'To be fair, I hardly think you know the first thing about buying a house,' she said pragmatically. 'Why didn't you ask me for help?'

Bewildered, he simply gaped at her, entirely lost to the conversation. She sighed, and finally decided to let him off the hook.

'I'm not angry that you're leaving, Doctor. If that's what you're asking.'

'You're not?'

He couldn't quite keep the disbelief out of his voice.

Jackie laughed.

'Oh, I'll certainly miss you, you idiot,' she said affectionately. 'But I'm not angry.'

She paused momentarily, her gaze seeking out his own.

'Everyone leaves home in the end.'

Her words, wistful and tinged with the smallest hint of resignation, were met with silence.

'Rose told me that once,' he said eventually, his voice cracking slightly as he remembered that day. 'We were trapped...for a bit...thought I'd lost my TARDIS,' he added jokingly.

Jackie's brow furrowed slightly.

'I hadn't,' he continued hastily. 'Obviously. Brought her home again. Safe and sound.'

He smiled broadly, hoping to bluster his way through having to explain the whole planet-orbiting-a-black-hole thing. He needn't have worried though because Jackie only had one thing to say.

'You brought her home though,' she said softly. 'Like you've always promised.'

The change of tone caught him off guard, and he shifted uncomfortably beneath Jackie's probing gaze.

'Yeah,' he finally agreed, although he didn't sound in the least bit certain.

'Don't you go doubting yourself now, mister,' Jackie said knowingly. 'You won't catch me saying this again, but I'm so glad Rose met you. I might have had my doubts about you,' she admitted. 'And the whole "alien" thing is a bit weird –'

'Oi!'

'Ok,' she acquiesced. 'But the hand thing is a bit –'

'OI!' he interrupted again.

'Oh, I'm only teasing,' Jackie huffed, eyes alight with amusement.

He rolled his eyes, allowing her her brief moment of triumph. Eventually she sobered, her gaze turning serious once again.

'Truth is,' she said earnestly, 'if there was one person I had to entrust with the life of my daughter, it would be _you_.'

The Doctor could count on one hand the number of times he'd been rendered truly speechless. And the last time had been several regenerations ago.

He knew there was only really one thing he could say in response.

'Thank you, Jackie Tyler.'

She smiled, her cheeks tinged pink in embarrassment. Leaning forward she reclaimed the mouse, waking the computer which had gone to sleep whilst they'd been talking.

'Let's find you a home, shall we?'

o0o

'Can this be my room, Doctor?'

The Doctor laughed as Tony grabbed his hand and pulled him excitedly into the room he'd selected. It was the smallest bedroom of the ones he'd been offered, but it had a spectacular view.

'Oh yes, Tony Tyler!' he agreed immediately, hoisting the boy over his shoulder.

Tony giggled delightedly as he carried him back downstairs to join his parents in the kitchen. As much as he enjoyed seeing Tony excited he didn't want him running around upstairs by himself, not yet at least.

With Jackie's help the Doctor had found a home that he was beginning to suspect he'd grow to love almost as much as his TARDIS. The moment he'd seen the listing he'd known it was the right place for him, and with Pete's help, he'd virtually owned the house within hours of selecting it. Somehow the Vitex billionaire had managed to rush the paperwork through for him, as well as insisting on using his own money to purchase the property, much to the Doctor's horror. Pete had absolutely refused to accept any form of compensation though, instructing him to consider it as a "thank you" gift for all the times he'd saved the universe.

The only reason the Doctor hadn't insisted on paying the man back was because Jackie had very sensibly pointed out that the house was going to need a lot of work to make it habitable. When he'd continued to argue over that point she'd told him quite succinctly that if he still felt the same way _after_ he'd paid for all the repairs she'd happily let him pay Pete back every cent. But until then he wasn't to say another thing about it.

Wisely, he'd held his tongue.

Seeing the property now, he was beginning to suspect that Jackie might have been right. There was currently no hot water and he suspected he was going to have to rewire a significant number of fuses. Still, he wouldn't have settled for anything else.

Although they'd searched extensively through the Exeter real estate listings, none of the houses had appealed to him. He'd never really thought of himself as a "picky buyer" before, but it seemed to be a new trait to this regeneration.

There had been one listing he'd briefly considered in Exeter, but Jackie had vetoed the option almost immediately. In return for her assistance she'd insisted on a four bedroom house at minimum. It wasn't so much the idea of the extra space that had bothered him; rather he couldn't see the point of having four rooms in the house exclusively set aside for sleeping. It seemed illogical, but Jackie had been non-negotiable on the point. She'd rolled her eyes and told him quite pointedly that he'd thank her later – whatever _that_ meant – before promptly adjusting the search filters accordingly.

Admittedly the option he'd been considering had been an apartment. An entirely impractical idea considering he wanted to grow his TARDIS, something that would necessitate both space and privacy.

Unable to reach a decision on the listings provided, Jackie had suggested looking outside of Exeter. After all, there was no reason he couldn't commute into work every day.

So they'd considered Exmouth, a small town to the South-East of Exeter.

And here they were.

All three Tylers had made the journey down to Exmouth with him, excited to see the new house with him, despite its state of disrepair. It was a seaside cottage, hidden away on the outskirts of the town with ten acres of land separating it from any nosy neighbours. Much to Jackie's delight it also had five bedrooms. Hardly knowing what to do with them, the Doctor had identified the master bedroom and had then instructed Tony to pick out a room for himself. If he was going to have four guest bedrooms, he might as well do something with them.

'How'd you go then?' Jackie asked as he re-entered the kitchen, Tony still draped over his shoulder.

'Oh, I think we did alright, didn't we, Tony?' he said as he made a show of putting the giggling boy down.

'Yep!'

Tony took great delight in popping the "p", much to the Doctor's amusement. It was a habit Rose's brother had apparently picked up since he'd started living with the Tylers.

'Well, which one did you pick?' Jackie asked, pulling the boy in for a cuddle.

Tony squirmed as his mother's cuddle turned into a tickling-fest.

'Mum!' he squealed in delight. 'Mum! Stop! Stop! The blue one,' he shrieked hysterically. 'I picked the blue room!'

Jackie laughed, relinquishing her grip on her son.

'And what do you say to the Doctor, young man?' she instructed pointedly.

Tony turned to face the Doctor, smiling broadly.

'Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!' he chanted excitedly.

'You're very welcome, Tony Tyler.'

'Can I really come and stay with you when Rose comes back?'

It was the sixth time Tony had asked the question, but he smiled good-naturedly.

'Of course you can,' he promised. 'You've got a room here now, don't you? You'll have to sleep in it some time!'

Tony turned expectantly towards his mother.

'Please can I stay with the Doctor tonight, Mum? Please!?' he begged, dragging the word out into the whine that only five year olds could perfect.

He'd been asking non-stop since they'd arrived, but the Doctor knew Jackie was not going to change her mind.

'Last warning, Tony,' she said sternly. 'You know very well that you have school tomorrow, mister. And even if you didn't, the Doctor has a big day tomorrow. First day at his new job, isn't it? He'll need a good night's rest. Just like you did before your first day of school, remember?'

Tony had been so excited about starting at school that he'd worn himself out by half-five in the evening the night before, to Jackie and Pete's great amusement. Of course, he'd then woken at half-three in the morning the next day, much to their dismay.

'But, Mum,' Tony sulked, pouting.

Jackie shot him a look, and wisely Tony conceded defeat. He'd learnt early on that arguing with his mother never ended well for him. Turning his back on his mother, he stormed over to her bag, pulled out his toy cars and promptly ignored them both. Sensing that the dispute was over, the Doctor pulled up a seat at the table with Jackie. The thick oak table was one of the few items of furniture that had come with the house. Thankfully, Pete had organised for the delivery of a few more essential items of furniture the next day, but for now the Doctor owned a mattress, a kitchen table, four chairs, and a refrigerator.

'Where's Pete?' he asked curiously, for the first time noticing the other man's absence.

Jackie, who seemed greatly amused by her son's sulking, turned her attention back to him.

'Oh, he's gone to get some takeout for dinner. I thought we'd eat early, and then we'll be out of your hair so you can finish unpacking and get settled in before the big day tomorrow.'

'It's only the first day of work, Jackie,' he said exasperatedly, tugging on his ear. 'Nothing to get excited over.'

Jackie smiled knowingly, her gaze softening.

'There's no shame in feeling a little nervous, you know,' she said. 'Everybody gets nervous before their first day.'

'I'm not nervous,' he rebutted immediately, although his voice cracked traitorously.

Jackie raised an eyebrow.

'I'm not,' he insisted.

Rolling her eyes, Jackie simply shook her head in resignation.

'Of course you're not,' she agreed dryly.

'Exactly,' he said with finality, certain that she'd drop the topic.

'It is a big day though,' she said instead.

' _Jackie_ ,' he groaned in warning.

'But it is!' she insisted. 'You've a new house, _and_ a new job.'

He eyed her suspiciously, uncertain where she was taking the conversation.

'I suppose,' he agreed objectively.

'Well, it's not every day you do that, is it?'

'Thankfully, no,' he bit out sarcastically.

Finally she seemed to sense that he wasn't interested in pursuing the topic further.

They lapsed into an awkward silence.

'Oh, I almost forgot,' she said suddenly. 'I was going to save it for Christmas, but with the way your heating seems to come and go here, probably best you have it now. And it was supposed to be a sort of "congratulations" gift. A house-warming gift, if you'll still have it?'

He hated that she sounded so uncertain, as though she really thought she'd offended him with her funny little human tendency to mark completely unimportant occasions. To him there was no difference between tonight, or the next night, or the next. What did it matter if tonight was the "first" night in his new home? It was just a house: a building to sleep in at night, and a place to grow his TARDIS in peace. Nothing more, nothing less.

He almost believed himself too.

She must have seen the indecision on his face because she turned to Tony, taking his silence as acquiescence to her request.

'Tony, will you get the Doctor's present out of my bag?'

Excitement seemed to render Tony partially amnesiac, for he forgot to be angry with his mother as he hurried to fetch the gift.

'It's from me, as well,' he said proudly, offering the Doctor the oddly proportioned package. 'Mum let me wrap it for you!'

Not knowing what else to do, he accepted the gift from Tony, forcing out a smile that he hoped looked at least half-way real.

'You didn't have to get me a present, Jackie,' he muttered, carefully peeling off the layers of sticky tape. He suspected Tony might have used the entire role of tape.

'Wouldn't be right not to mark the occasion, Doctor,' she replied softly, obviously wary of his reaction now. 'It's only a small thing. I'd have bought you one anyway, now that it's getting cooler. Can't have you freezing on your way to work, can I?'

He stared at the navy blue and charcoal grey earflap beanie that was lying in his lap. It was such an innocuous object, practical even. But he couldn't stop staring at it. Couldn't stop seeing it for what it represented.

'I...ah...thank you, Jackie,' he managed to get out, realising belatedly that he'd been silent for far too long. Tony was staring at him crestfallen, and the Doctor hurried to remedy his mistake.

'And you, Tony,' he added hurriedly, his words tumbling together in his haste to get them out. 'Thank you. I've never opened such a well wrapped gift before. People never use the right amount of sticky tape, you know. But you did, Tony. The perfect amount, I should think.'

He stopped abruptly as he realised he was rambling. The beanie was still sitting on his lap. He stared at it. This house-warming gift that _shouldn't_ mean a thing to him, but was instead slowly and steadily breaking down every carefully constructed wall he'd built around his heart since Rose had left. And he only had the one now; one single, fragile human heart that he _couldn't_ afford to break.

He stood, pushing away from the table and letting the beanie fall to the ground as his hand migrated to the back of his neck.

'There was something...,' he began lamely, searching for an excuse. 'I need to...I...'

The words died away and before he could even think about it he was striding out the front door of his cottage. He could hear Tony calling after him, but he kept walking. And then without further thought he was running. He had no idea where he was going or why he was running away. He just needed to run.

So he did.

o0o

Jackie found him twenty minutes later.

He hadn't gone very far, only down to the beach in the end. Far enough to put some distance between the cottage and himself, but not so far that he couldn't be found.

_That_ was out of character. He didn't normally let people catch up with him again when he ran. It kind of defeated the purpose of running away in the first place, he thought sardonically.

He sensed her sit down next to him, feeling rather than seeing, as his gaze remained fixed on the symbols he was carving idly into the sand. She was within reach, but not too close. Giving him the space he needed.

He couldn't say how long she sat with him in silence. Long enough that the sun was beginning to set by the time he finally spoke.

'I've never owned a house before,' he said softly, watching the small waves as they beached themselves tirelessly against the sand. 'Well, not something that would fit your human concept of a house,' he amended. 'Nine hundred years, and not one house. Can you believe it?'

'Yes,' she said simply.

'I've done the wife and children part before though, you know,' he continued, as though she hadn't said anything. 'Did Rose ever tell you that?'

For the first time since Jackie had arrived he looked towards her, genuinely curious.

Jackie shook her head.

'I wondered,' she said quietly. 'But she never said, and I never asked.'

He laughed; a weak, half hearted sound that contained no mirth.

'No, you didn't,' he conceded. 'But I don't think you needed to, did you? There's something about being a parent that leaves a mark on you, changes you irrevocably. I can see it in you, Jackie, and you saw it in me. Even back then,' he guessed, referencing his earlier self, 'when I was a different man.'

She nodded wordlessly, and he grinned half-heartedly, pleased to know that he'd been right.

'I was a terrible parent,' he admitted abruptly. 'Wasn't much of a grandfather either. I don't think Susan ever forgave me for Alex's death,' he added softly, talking more to himself now than Jackie.

He lapsed into silence then, remembering that terrible day.

He'd failed his great-grandson. He hadn't been able to save him that day. Nor Lucie. But he'd failed Susan too. He'd left her alone, too afraid of his own grief to recognise hers.

It was one of his greatest regrets. And something he feared he could never atone for.

He had no idea how long Jackie allowed him to sit in silence, but eventually she spoke, forcing him to return to the present. The past was the past after all, and nothing he could do would ever change that. He could only remember them now.

'What's upset you, Doctor?' she asked gently, her tone filled with worry.

It was such a simple question. Yet she had no idea how complex the answer could be for him.

'Was it something I said?' she continued, his silence fuelling her anxiety until she was listing every conceivable option. 'Was it the beanie? Is it the house? Are you nervous about tomorrow? Is it –'

He knew from experience that she wouldn't stop until forced to do so. But he _needed_ her to stop. He stood suddenly, striding away until he stood several paces from her. He was breathing heavily, his hand tangled somewhere in his hair, and ankle deep in salt water because he hadn't realised he'd reached the water. He looked out at the endless ocean, and he shrugged.

'I bought a house, Jackie!' he shouted in frustration. He sounded hysterical, but there was something cathartic about shouting at the ocean, so he let it all out. Everything that had been eating away at him since he'd arrived that morning.

'A _stupid_ building, that's not in the least bit important because it doesn't mean anything to me. It _shouldn't_ mean anything to me. A new job? A new house? When have I _ever_ wanted anything like that before? I _shouldn't_ want them. I'm not that man. I don't do domestics. I've _never_ wanted to before. It _shouldn't_ matter to me,' he trailed off pathetically, the words dying on his lips because he'd finally admitted to himself what was truly bothering him.

He turned around.

'I bought a house, Jackie,' he admitted, his voice cracking. 'And Rose wasn't part of that.'

'Oh, Doctor.'

Jackie closed the distance between them, pulling him into a tight hug. He couldn't say how long they stood like that. It may have been minutes, but just as easily it could have been hours. It was long enough that he could taste salt on his cheeks, though he couldn't say for certain that it was solely from the sea spray.

'I feel like I'm leaving her behind, Jackie,' he admitted quietly once they'd separated. 'I thought if I ever did anything like this, it would be with Rose by my side. But she isn't, and it doesn't feel right. I don't know what I'm doing.'

He broke off. And then he did something he'd never thought he'd willingly do.

He asked Jackie Tyler for advice.

'What do I do?'

Jackie smiled.

'You do what you've always done,' she instructed seriously. 'Stick with it, like the stubborn man I know you are.'

He laughed weakly.

'It gets easier, Doctor,' she promised. 'Step by step, day by day, it becomes less daunting. You'll get there in the end. Trust me.'

Eventually he nodded. Satisfied, Jackie reached up to wipe the last of the salt from his face.

'Come on,' she said. 'Let's go home.'

o0o

Jackie had been right, the Doctor thought as he sat down in his new armchair by the fireplace. He'd been living in Exmouth for a fortnight now; his days spent teaching at the University and his weekends in the cottage, steadily fixing the place up.

He'd never felt more alive.

He'd planted the TARDIS in the back garden his very first night, half a foot deep in soil rich with rift energy. She loved the location, the faint presence in the back of his mind only strengthened by the salt of the sea air. Now a small sapling stood proudly in place, growing stronger by the day, and he knew it wouldn't be long before she really took off.

In quiet moments, he'd catch himself worrying about what Rose would think when she came home, wondering if she'd be mad that he'd moved on with his life whilst she'd be gone. But those times were growing few and far between.

He was happy here.

Strangely, the slow path didn't seem quite so frightening anymore.


	5. November

He was halfway through the second coat of paint in the bathroom when he heard the doorknocker. Startled by the sudden sound he jerked upright, inadvertently knocking the paint tin off the bench.

'Bollocks!' he cursed.

He could feel the paint soaking through the bottom of his jeans and he hurried to right the tin, attempting to minimise the fallout. The jeans were second-hand, picked up from the local op-shop the previous weekend for precisely this reason, but he really hadn't anticipated such a spectacular spill. He sighed as he grabbed a rag, doing his best to soak up as much of the misplaced paint as he could. If he hadn't had his head in the clouds he'd never have been caught off guard. After all, he knew exactly who his visitor was.

Half six on a Thursday evening meant Mrs Wright.

The Doctor had met his neighbours quite by chance on his second afternoon in Exmouth. A small mishap with a faulty washer had led to an almost catastrophic leak whilst he'd been fixing the kitchen sink. Unable to stem the flow of water he'd beaten a hasty retreat from the kitchen in favour of finding the stopcock. Half-drenched and more than a little wild-eyed, his neighbours had stumbled upon him on their evening stroll as he'd been pacing the boundary of his property, in search of the elusive water meter and accompanying stopcock. As luck would have had it Mr Wright was the local plumber.

Martin had only needed to take one look at the scene before him to recognise that his new neighbour was in the midst of a plumbing emergency. With the ease of a man who did it every day, he'd located the stopcock and within seconds had ensured that the water supply to the Doctor's cottage was temporarily withheld. He'd then very graciously accompanied the Doctor back to the kitchen, and within half an hour had restored the kitchen sink to its former glory, sans leak.

Since then the Wrights had been regular visitors to his cottage. Their three children were all grown so Irene delighted in fussing over the Doctor, much to his bemusement. He wasn't entirely certain how it had happened but every Thursday evening she brought around a home-cooked meal for him. She'd waved away his protests that first time, insisting that with the hours he worked he couldn't possibly have enough time to prepare something wholesome for dinner every night. Admittedly, adjusting to the vigorous timetable of the university _had_ caught him off guard and once or twice he'd come home too tired for anything _but_ beans on toast. Of course he hadn't said as much, but she'd known she'd been right when he hadn't been able to counter her argument.

So he'd stopped being surprised when she arrived like clockwork on Thursdays, until this evening that is.

'Hello, Mrs Wright,' he greeted warmly as he opened the door.

No matter how often she told him that she was happy for him to call her Irene, he couldn't quite seem to. She was very much a "Mrs Wright" in his mind. Although it probably had something to do with the fact that she insisted on calling him John. Apparently she was of the opinion that one should always use a person's proper name. Not their title.

He'd long since given up attempting to convince her that "Doctor" really _was_ his name.

'Hello, John,' she greeted in turn, bestowing her customary kiss on his cheek. 'Oh goodness, what have you done now?' she added, catching sight of his paint encrusted jeans.

'It was an accident!' he insisted, closing the door behind her as he followed her through to the kitchen.

'Well go and change out of them, silly,' she instructed. 'If you put them in the wash now they won't stain.'

'They're just an old pair of jeans,' he grumbled.

'Yes, and they'll be a _clean_ pair of old jeans if you do as I say.'

Rolling his eyes, the Doctor conceded defeat and left to carry out her instructions. As he changed out of the jeans, pulling on a pair of the comfortable sweatpants Jackie had bought him, he could hear Irene putting the casserole dish into the oven. Having cooked for three growing boys for twenty plus years she'd never quite grasped what quantity of food constituted a meal for one, which meant the Doctor always had leftovers for another two or three meals, much to his delight as Irene was an excellent cook.

Coming back into the kitchen his stomach grumbled loudly as he recognised the tell tale scent of Irene's beef lasagne, an absolute favourite of his. He was about to compliment her when he noticed that she was looking at him in mild exasperation.

'What?'

'Where are your trousers?' she asked pointedly.

In a moment of brief horror he thought he'd come back into the kitchen without his trousers on, but a quick glance downwards confirmed that this was not the case. He glanced at her in confusion.

'I'm wearing them.'

Irene let out a sigh.

'The trousers you just changed out of,' she prompted. 'The ones with paint all over them...'

'Ohh, _those_ trousers. They're in my bedroom,' he said, as though it was the most obvious answer in the world.

Irene grabbed the tea towel off the bench and flicked it at him.

'Ow! What was that for?'

'You're as bad as my sons were when they were eight,' was all she said in reply. 'How do you think your trousers are going to be washed if they're lying on the floor in your bedroom?'

The Doctor supposed she had a point.

'Go and get them,' she sighed. 'I'll put them in the soaker for you.'

Grinning sheepishly, he slunk off to his room to fetch the forgotten trousers.

'For the record,' he called over his shoulder, 'I left them on my bed. Not the floor.'

'Very funny,' he heard Irene mutter sarcastically. 'Sometimes I wonder how you got a job at the University.'

He laughed to himself. If Jackie ever met Irene, he suspected the pair would get on like a house on fire.

o0o

The Doctor hummed contentedly as he sat beside the TARDIS in the backyard. Dusk had settled over the ocean, painting it a spectacular deep purple as the blackness of night steadily engulfed the sky. Stars were beginning to flicker into existence, their light growing stronger as the sun's faded over the horizon. The TARDIS stood at the height of a small sapling now, the branches of her architectural reconfiguration system beginning to develop the orbs that would soon adorn her in abundance. Once that was complete the Doctor knew she'd truly begin to grow in earnest, but for now he was content to simply rest beside her trunk, taking comfort from the familiar pulse of her presence.

' _Are you even listening to me!?_ '

Jackie's shrill voice cut into his thoughts, reminding him that he was, in fact, still on the phone with her.

'What? Yes, of course I am!' he replied indignantly, shifting his mobile into a more comfortable position. 'You were telling me about Tony's football practice.'

There was a moment of suspicious silence, and then an irritated huff.

' _Why do I get the feeling that was a lucky guess?_ '

'It wasn't! If you don't believe me I can repeat verbatim your description of the goal he almost got.'

' _Oh fine, I believe you.'_

The Doctor breathed a silent sigh of relief, once again grateful that he _could_ in fact do two things at once.

' _You_ can _contribute to these conversations, you know. You don't have to listen to me going on about Tony all the time.'_

'I like hearing about Tony,' he protested, standing up and moving a few paces away from the TARDIS. Best not to tempt fate, he thought. If he stayed by her for the whole conversation he was likely to zone out again, and he doubted Jackie would tolerate a second lapse in concentration.

She'd made it a habit to phone him every few days, just to "check in on him". Although he'd complained liberally about the frequency of the phone calls the fact that he still picked up every time she rang spoke volumes. And she knew it too, he was certain.

' _Sometimes I think you like it too much.'_

'What's _that_ supposed to mean?'

Jackie sighed.

' _You know exactly what it means, mister._ '

And he did.

'Aw, Jackie,' he grumbled good-naturedly, running his hand through his hair. 'I don't want to talk about me. That's boring.'

Jackie hummed disapprovingly, but surprisingly she didn't push the subject.

' _I don't know why it is that my children are so attached to you, Doctor, but Tony hasn't stopped asking when he can sleep over at your place since we left!'_

The Doctor chuckled unapologetically.

' _It's driving me mad, I tell you. He comes down for breakfast, and instead of a "hello" or a "good morning, Mum", I get "can I go to the Doctor's tonight, Mum?"'_

He couldn't quite keep in his snort of laughter, imagining the scene distinctly.

'Honestly, Jackie,' he sighed, finally reigning in his humour as he watched the waves beaching themselves against the sand. 'I'd be happy to have him any time. But the place is still a mess, and there are definitely a few too many wires lying about. Even for me,' he added.

' _Oh he won't be coming over any time soon. You still need time to settle in. You don't need Tony down there running you ragged. Besides, I've told him it won't be happening until Rose gets back.'_

The Doctor's mouth was suddenly dry, and he swallowed reflexively. Jackie had finally managed to steer the conversation onto Rose.

' _How are you doing, Doctor? Really?'_

The Doctor let out a long breath, shrugging as he did so.

' _Doctor?_ '

She sounded worried.

'I don't know, Jackie,' he admitted helplessly, the truth spilling out. 'I really don't know.'

' _Oh, sweetheart._ '

'How do you do _this_?' he questioned, gesturing at the world around him at large. 'The job, the house...the whole _staying put_. How do you do it all?'

Jackie was silent for a long moment before he heard her sigh.

' _You and Rose are so alike._ '

'What's that supposed to mean?' he asked confusedly.

' _She didn't find it any easier than you, Doctor. In fact, some days I wondered if she was ever going to adjust. But she did eventually.'_

Jackie paused for a moment.

' _That's not to say there weren't plenty of tears along the way either, because there were certainly more than enough of those. And she was angry for a very long time as well. With you, with me, with Pete...she'd have been angry with the whole universe if she could have been. But that's how we all grieve, Doctor. She'd lost you, and for a while she had difficulty accepting you weren't coming back. It was hard for her, going back to_ this _after everything you'd given her. You see you gave her the universe, Doctor. But me? Well, I could only ever give her myself.'_

Jackie trailed off, her words simply seeming to die away. She sounded tired. As though speaking her harsh truths had worn her out.

In a way the Doctor understood. Instinctively he knew that Rose loved him, but he also understood that Rose loved Jackie. Albeit a very different sort of love to that he shared with Rose. Nevertheless, it wasn't fair to compare between the two of them. Nor did he think that Jackie should feel as though Rose's love for her was any less than the love Rose had for him. So for the sake of future happiness, the Doctor decided to part with an admission of his own.

Besides, for everything she'd done for Rose whilst she'd been alone in this world and for everything she was doing for him now, Jackie deserved closure.

'She wasn't ready to give you up that day,' he said softly. 'Rose might have picked me, Jackie, but it wasn't for the right reasons. It wasn't the right decision for either of us because I could _never_ have given her what she wanted as a Time Lord. I was _always_ going to be wrong for her, no matter how much both of us wanted to believe otherwise.

'But I let her convince me,' he admitted. 'When she came back to me, when she appeared in that wretched room again telling me that she'd made her choice, that giving _you_ up was the right thing for her to do, I chose to believe her. I let her stay, Jackie, when I should have sent her home to you. And I am _so_ sorry because it very nearly cost your daughter her life,' he finished flatly.

The other end of the line was quiet for a long while, the silence broken only by the occasional sniff. Eventually Jackie managed to get her emotions back under control.

' _Thank you_.'

'You're very welcome, Jackie Tyler,' he answered warmly.

His sincere reply seemed to boost her confidence.

' _She might not have been ready before, but don't doubt that she isn't ready for you now, Doctor. She's grown up quite a lot since you last saw her. She'll give you a run for your money, I should think.'_

The Doctor laughed heartily.

'Oh, Jackie, she's been outrunning me for years.'

The sound of something shattering as it hit the ground cut through the call. Tony had clearly been playing with his football in the house if Jackie's angry shouts were anything to go by. It was several minutes before she calmed down enough to remember that he was still on the phone with her.

' _Honestly, that boy! I swear the only thing he thinks about is football. If I've told him once I've told him a thousand times not to play with his ball in the house. Anyway, I'm sorry, Doctor, but I've got a very contrite five year old to sort out._ '

'Not to worry, Jackie,' he replied cheerfully. As much as he enjoyed talking to Jackie she did have a tendency to expand their conversations well beyond what he considered an appropriate length of time.

' _Now, you make sure you call me, mister, if you're ever feeling overwhelmed. Even if it's half two in the morning, I won't care. Well, maybe not half two if you can help it. But please do call. I don't like to think of you out there on your own. All isolated and –'_

'Jackie,' he interrupted, before she got carried away. 'I'm not isolated,' he promised. 'I've got plenty of colleagues now, and the neighbours are very good friends.'

He paused for a moment.

'But thank you,' he finished sincerely.

o0o

Friday night drinks hadn't gone quite as he'd expected. After a fortnight of declining his colleagues offers to join them for a few pints down at the local after work, he'd finally succumbed to their persistent badgering and gone along with them. It had been a relatively small group: him, Mark, Sara and her fiancé Oliver, and Patrick and his girlfriend Lucy. Mark and Patrick both worked in the Physics department with the Doctor, whilst Sara worked in the Mathematics department.

The night had started off calmly enough, Patrick buying the first round as the rest of them settled into a booth to debrief on the week that had passed. Mostly they'd discussed various questions they'd received during their lectures, both the absurd and the uncomfortably challenging. As the rounds kept coming the talk had eventually drifted towards personal lives though. Very much still the new boy, the Doctor had found himself on the receiving end of half a dozen questions he probably wouldn't have answered if he'd been sober. Eventually he'd managed to challenge Mark to a game of darts, effectively ending the conversation, although he had a horrible feeling he'd confirmed that he _was_ the same John Smith who'd been living with the Tyler family. Oh, and that he was sort of, _probably_ , dating Rose Tyler, Vitex heiress.

The group of friends had dispersed at half-ten, the Doctor pleasantly drunk and victor of the darts tournament. Realising he wasn't going to be able to drive home he'd ended up calling a cab, resulting in an expensive trip to Exmouth. At which point he'd been unable to recall the name of the street he lived on. The exasperated cabbie had pulled over then and deposited him in the town centre, only stopping long enough to collect his payment.

The Doctor couldn't really blame the poor cabbie, he decided as he staggered drunkenly along the road to his cottage. He suspected it was only pure willpower that was keeping the contents of his stomach in place at present. Although he had yet to recall the name of the street he lived on, muscle memory had ensured he'd at least taken the correct route home from the town centre. Now it was only a matter of a few minutes more of concentration before he'd reach his cottage and the sanctuary of his bathroom. He no longer doubted that the contents of his stomach were going to make a spectacular reappearance. He just hoped to reach some kind of receptacle before they did so.

'There you are, John!'

His careful concentration broken by the unexpected greeting, the Doctor managed two steps off into the ditch by the side of the road before vomiting up the six beers and the smattering of chips he'd partaken of that evening.

'Whoa there, John. You alright?'

Hands clutched him round the waist, holding him upright as his stomach continued to spasm pathetically, feebly attempting to expel every last drop of acid and bile left to him. He groaned, pushing back on unsteady feet as he attempted to wipe his mouth clean, the taste of vomit coating his tongue. It took him several moments to process the past few minutes, and it was then that he realised he recognised the voice that had taken him by surprise.

'Martin?' he queried, looking up blearily to find his neighbour stood beside him. He had a flashlight with him, the harsh white light focussed pointedly onto the ground, but providing just enough light that the Doctor could make out the other man's grim smile.

'Had a few too many, John?' was all Martin said, eyeing him knowingly.

'I don't normally get drunk,' the Doctor replied wearily, rubbing his shoes against the grass to wipe away the sick he'd managed to step in. Shoes clean, he accepted Martin's proffered hand gratefully and allowed the other man to pull him back up onto the road proper.

'What are you doing out so late?' he added confusedly, the question occurring to him as he realised they were standing a foot from his own letterbox.

Martin chuckled.

'The missus thought I ought to come down and check on you, lad. We didn't see your lights on when we walked past earlier, and when they still didn't come on by the time we were ready for bed she was worried something must have happened to you. Told her there was nothing in it,' he finished cheerfully; clearly bemused to have found the Doctor simply drunk as opposed to whatever mishap Irene had envisioned occurring.

'Well...yes,' he answered lamely, words failing him. He really didn't have an excuse for his current state of inebriation, and now that Martin had found him he felt awful that the other man had forgone his bed to check in on him.

Martin let him off the hook though.

'Come on then,' he sighed theatrically, eyes alight with wicked amusement. 'Let's get you inside and cleaned up.'

With Martin's steady hands to keep him upright the trip to his front door took no time. Getting inside took a little longer as the Doctor fumbled for the correct key, dropping his bundle twice before Martin, rolling his eyes, sequestered them from him and let them in. With a pointed nudge, the older man directed him towards the bathroom, the Doctor belatedly realising that he'd managed to get a fair amount of vomit onto his clothing. His thoughts a foggy muddle he didn't think twice about leaving Martin alone in his house as he proceeded to take a shower. By the time he came out Martin had located a pack of paracetamol, a glass of water, and a bucket. He handed all three items to the Doctor without comment.

'Thanks,' he murmured, immediately taking two paracetamol to ward off the beginnings of his hangover.

Martin smirked.

'Been a while since I last did this,' he said idly. 'Mind you, I used to lock the boys outside for a bit when they came home like you. Meant I didn't have to clean up their vomit when they passed out. Anyway,' he continued, 'best leave you alone, I think. Let you sleep it off. I've checked all your windows for you by the way, so you needn't worry about that,' he added as he moved towards the doorway.

'What?'

Martin took in his vacant expression, his eyebrows lifting in surprise.

'Didn't you hear the weather report?'

The Doctor shook his head.

'There's a big storm coming in off the coast,' Martin explained. 'Should be making landfall in the next few hours.'

'Oh...' the Doctor replied intelligently. 'Is that important?'

Martin blinked.

'I keep forgetting you're new round here,' he said finally. 'Look, last few months we've had three or four big storms come through every month. Don't know why, but the weather's been funny for years now. I mean, didn't you wonder why half the windows were smashed out in the place when you bought it?'

'I didn't ask,' the Doctor admitted. He'd wondered, but he'd ended up moving in so quickly that the observation had slipped his mind.

Martin huffed.

'Listen,' he said frankly, 'it shouldn't be too bad as long as you stay inside. These storms are brutal, but they're quick. And if we're lucky, the wind will come right down by the time it crosses the coast.'

'Okay,' the Doctor agreed.

Martin studied him for a moment.

'Don't go outside,' he reiterated.

The Doctor rolled his eyes.

'Martin, to be perfectly honest with you,' he said slowly, making a concerted effort to not slur his words, 'the distance to my bed is about all I'm capable of considering at the moment.'

Martin laughed.

'All right, John. I'll leave you to it.'

Still chuckling slightly the other man saw himself out, leaving the Doctor alone to seek the comfort of his bed.

o0o

_Splat!_

The Doctor frowned in his sleep.

_Splat!_

He huffed in annoyance but remained lost to the land of dreams.

_Splat! Splat!_

The irritant was becoming more persistent, dragging him unwillingly back to consciousness.

_Splat! Splat! Splat!_

The now steady drip of water onto his forehead finally woke him. For a moment he kept his eyes shut, wondering if he'd been imagining the sensation all along.

_Splat!_

He hadn't been dreaming then. Swiping at the offensive pool of water that had accumulated on his brow, he stretched languorously before rolling to the side to sit on the edge of the bed. He was still feeling rather stuporous after the previous evening's drinks so it took him a moment to realise that the pounding sound he was hearing _wasn't_ coming solely from inside his head.

It was absolutely bucketing down outside.

The rain was astonishingly loud against the slates of the roof, almost drowning out the howl of the wind as the storm raged on. The Doctor blinked in surprise, astounded that he'd managed to sleep through the racket. His musings were interrupted though by the now familiar splat of water, this time against his hand. He'd stretched it backwards onto his pillow where it had fallen victim to the drip.

Clearly he had a leak.

Glancing upwards, he squinted at the ceiling in an attempt to discern where the water was getting in from. It didn't take him long to spot the telltale bogginess that heralded a leaking roof. Even as he watched, the drops coalesced into a steady stream of water as the rain picked up; the patch of ceiling was dangerously soaked. Finally cognizant of the imminent danger of his bed flooding, the Doctor scarpered out of his room in search of a bucket. It took him several minutes of fruitless searching before he recalled that Martin had given him a bucket before he'd left for the night, and he'd placed it beside his bed in case of emergency emesis.

The bucket finally located, he placed it beneath the leak on his bed, strategically employing several pillows to hold it in place. The splat of the water hitting the bottom of the plastic bucket was, for the only time that morning, a welcome sound. It was just past seven in the morning, but the storm showed no signs of abating any time soon, seemingly content to rage against the shoreline for the better part of the foreseeable future. Yawning, he supposed he ought to check for any other damage to the house.

Knowing his luck who knew what catastrophes awaited him outside his bedroom.

o0o

The storm had eased off by the time he finished surveying the damage to the cottage. Thankfully the only roof leak remained in his bedroom, but two windows had blown out in the kitchen, exposing the room to the elements. He'd spent almost an hour clearing away the glass that littered the floor and boarding up the windows, working quickly to minimise the amount of water damage. He'd have to see about getting replacement glass in town later that afternoon. For now though he knew he'd need to have a look at the roof.

The ceiling was far too water-logged at present to repair properly, but he'd need to find the entry point and cover that to prevent further damage in the interim. It meant a trip up onto the roof with some tarpaulin though, an activity he did not relish in the slightest at the moment. His jeans were uncomfortably damp from his morning spent in the kitchen, his converses were soaked at best, and his headache had only begun to subside in the last few minutes. He was cold, wet, and feeling more than a little sorry for himself because all he really wanted to do was go back to bed. But he knew if he didn't fix the roof now chances were a coastal squall would come in whilst he slept, and if the ceiling got any more water damage he didn't doubt in the slightest that it would collapse.

Probably right on top of him too, knowing his luck.

He fetched the ladder from the spare bedroom where he'd been using it to rewire the light fittings, trailing soggy footprints through the house as he trudged out into the garden. The ladder wouldn't be tall enough to reach the second floor so he leant it against the kitchen, intending to climb onto its lower roof before pulling himself up to where he needed to be.

In the end getting up onto the roof was the easy part. Once he'd done so it was a matter of twenty minutes or so before he had the tarpaulin in place, securely nailed down until he could get the materials to fix the roof properly.

It was coming down off the roof that he made his mistake.

The slates were slippery and treacherous, something he'd been mindful of on his way up and across the roof, but now that his task was complete his thoughts were already miles ahead of his feet, focussed on the warm shower he was going to take the moment he got inside. He didn't register the cracked slate until far too late, the uneven surface throwing him off balance, the slates far too slippery to gain purchase on.

With a startled cry the Doctor fell off the roof.

o0o

' _John!?'_

He could feel someone gripping his shoulder, pulling at it irritatingly. Normally he might have been bothered by it, but for some reason he couldn't quite seem to care. All he wanted to do was stay where he was, in the peace and quiet.

' _John, wake up!'_

The tugging was becoming more persistent yet still he ignored it, content to remain unaware.

' _Doctor, please!'_

The Doctor's eyes snapped open and the dull pain in his leg he'd been blissfully ignorant of whilst unconscious flared back into life with astonishing vengeance. He felt like crying.

'Oh, Rassilon,' he moaned, digging his palms into his eyes in his distress. 'My leg...,' he gasped, trailing off incoherently.

Gentle hands encompassed his own, pulling them away from his face until the Doctor found himself face to face with Mrs Wright. She was staring down at him in concern, one hand stroking his forehead as she murmured comforting platitudes to him. It took him several moments before he began to make sense of what she was saying.

'...the ambulance is on its way...won't be long now...just lie still, Doctor...you'll be alright...'

He stared at her stupidly as an inane thought came to him.

'You called me Doctor,' he muttered in surprise. 'You never call me Doctor.'

She smiled tightly, seemingly relieved that he was at least speaking coherently now.

'Did I, John?' she asked cheekily. 'Goodness knows what I was thinking then.'

He rolled his eyes, eliciting a small chuckle from her.

'How are you doing?' she asked seriously.

He swallowed, gathering his courage. With a quick glance downwards he confirmed what he'd suspected since he'd woken up on the ground.

His left leg was pointing in the wrong direction.

He let out a sigh, dropping his head back onto the jacket Irene must have placed beneath his head whilst he'd been unconscious.

'I've broken my leg, haven't I?' he said resignedly.

She nodded.

'God knows what you were doing up on that roof, mister,' she chastised gently. 'You're lucky you didn't break your neck! Nearly gave me a heart attack when I found you. All splayed out on the ground you were, barely making a sound. You could have died!'

Her voice rose to a shrill pitch that belied her reprimand. He knew then that he'd well and truly worried her.

'Sorry,' he said quietly into the silence.

Irene sighed.

'Oh, it's not your fault,' she relented. 'That's how these things go. You've just been very unlucky.'

If the pain in his leg hadn't been foremost on his mind at that moment he might have argued the point. He'd been careless on the roof, and he knew it. But he supposed she was correct in a way. The broken slate _was_ unlucky. Something else occurred to him then.

'What are you doing here?' he questioned.

Irene raised an eyebrow at his blunt question, but for once she didn't call him out on his rudeness. Clearly she was cutting him some slack whilst the bones in his leg remained in pieces.

'Jackie called me.'

She spoke as though she'd given the most logical answer in the world.

'What?'

'There was some coverage of the storm on their local news. Lots of wild weather shots and damaged house. She was worried your cottage might have been hit badly so she wanted to check on you. But when she called your mobile you didn't answer. So she called me instead, and I agreed to come by and check on you. And a good thing I did,' she added under her breath. 'Who knows when you'd have woken up otherwise?'

The Doctor had listened to her explanation with vague interest, but really only one point stood out for him.

'You know _Jackie Tyler_?' he questioned incredulously.

Irene laughed.

'She said you'd be like this when you found out.'

He stared at her in disbelief, still unable to believe that his neighbour had met Jackie.

'Of course I know her, silly,' she continued amicably. 'Jackie came and introduced herself when you first moved in. Told me I wasn't to tell you she had, but she said you'd had a bit of a rough time of it lately and if it wasn't too much trouble, she asked if I could look in on you every now and then.'

The Doctor gaped wordlessly for a moment longer.

'I _cannot_ _believe_ her,' he finally snapped indignantly. 'All this time, and _she's_ known _you_. I'm telling you now, Mrs Wright: Jackie Tyler and I are going to have words when I next see her. Actually, not just words,' he clarified, 'but a conversation. One _very long_ conversation about when it _is_ and _isn't_ appropriate to interfere in my life.'

Irene smiled indulgently, smoothing the hair from his forehead as the sound of sirens could finally be heard in the distance.

'That sounds like an excellent idea, love,' she agreed effortlessly. 'Jackie should be here by lunch time.'

o0o

He was high on Ketamine by the time Jackie arrived at the hospital.

'Jackie!' he greeted her enthusiastically, pulling the nasal prongs out so that he could talk to her properly. 'I'm going to have surgery!'

Jackie's eyes immediately narrowed suspiciously as she looked him over. Without a word to him she stuck her head out of the privacy curtain and hailed the closest nurse.

'Is he supposed to be like this?' she demanded.

Nurse Pauline stepped into their cubicle. The Doctor scowled.

'You can't ask her, Jackie,' he interrupted, his conspiratorial whisper obnoxiously loud. 'I don't think she likes me very much.'

Nurse Pauline raised a single, affronted eyebrow.

'As you well know, Dr Smith, "she" only dislikes you when you try to climb out of bed.'

The Doctor pouted, crossing his arms petulantly as he ignored the two women before him. Satisfied that he wasn't going to attempt to leave the bed again, Nurse Pauline's attention returned to Jackie.

'Unfortunately, Dr Smith has had a very strong reaction to the Ketamine we gave him whilst manipulating his leg,' she explained.

Jackie snorted.

'Strong reaction? He's off his face.'

Nurse Pauline shifted uncomfortably.

'Yes,' she agreed. 'Well...sometimes that happens too. Although I haven't seen anyone react _quite_ as strongly as your Dr Smith has,' she admitted.

Jackie laughed then, dispelling the tension in the room.

'Yes, he's certainly one of a kind,' she said affectionately, moving to sit in the chair by the Doctor's bedside.

He glanced over at her suspiciously for a moment before losing interest in her once again, content to remain lost in his own little world. Jackie wondered what was going through that mind of his, but for now she wanted to get the facts from his nurse.

'So,' she asked resignedly. 'How long is he going to be like this for? Can't you reverse it?'

'We certainly won't be giving him anymore Ketamine,' Nurse Pauline hurried to assure Jackie. 'Now that we've got his leg in a good position he'll be able to go home once the Ketamine has worn off. He'll need to follow up with the Fracture Clinic in a week, and that's when he'll see the Orthopaedic surgeon.'

'Is he having surgery then?'

Nurse Pauline shook her head.

'No,' she confirmed. 'But he will need to see the Orthopaedic surgeon to ensure the fractures are healing properly. He's broken his tibia and his fibula, the two bones in his leg,' she added seeing Jackie's blank expression, 'but from the X-rays the doctors took today they don't think he'll need surgery. They were able to manipulate the break as we put the cast on, and as long as that stays in position, his leg should heal up nicely over the next six to eight weeks.'

Jackie turned towards her wayward charge, reaching out to smooth his hair off his forehead. His normally vibrant hair was looking rather flat, and now that she looked at him up close she could tell he was pale. He'd clearly had a rough time of it, despite his drug-induced euphoric state implying otherwise.

'What am I going to do with you, huh?' she murmured softly. 'Six weeks in a cast? You'll go mad.'

Nurse Pauline had obviously heard her.

'He probably won't be in a cast the whole time,' she explained, as she moved to record the Doctor's next set of vitals on his chart. 'The surgeons often like to get them into moon boots as soon as possible. They're not as hard to care for as the plaster casts and they often allow for more mobility. But he will be in a cast for the next few weeks at least.'

Jackie nodded, watching as the nurse finished taking his temperature.

'How's your pain, Dr Smith?'

The Doctor stared at her in bewilderment, looking her over before turning to Jackie.

'She's _got_ to be a Slitheen, Jackie,' he confided eagerly. 'Well, definitely from Raxacoricofallapatorius at least. Big and mean. That's their trademark. I can't quite see the zipper, but she's definitely fa –'

Jackie clamped a hand over his mouth before he could finish the sentence, giving him a warning look that just dared him to keep talking. Even in his drug-addled state he knew better than to mess with her when she was giving him _that_ look. Glancing towards Nurse Pauline, who looked as though she knew exactly where the Doctor's unfinished sentence had been going, Jackie sought to salvage the situation.

'What happens once the Ketamine wears off?' she asked quickly. 'Is he going to be in a lot of pain?'

Nurse Pauline shot an irritated look at the Doctor, who was once again attempting to lower the bed railings, before turning back to Jackie.

'The doctors will write him up for some pain medication before he leaves,' she said shortly. 'Until then, please keep him _in_ the bed and out of trouble.'

With a final dismissive glance at her troublesome patient she stalked out of the cubicle with an indignant huff. Jackie sighed and glanced at the Doctor.

'I hope you're happy with yourself,' she said pointedly. 'Insulting the poor lady when she's only trying to do her job.'

The Doctor glanced at her, his eyes drooping almost comically. It seemed the events of the day were finally starting to catch up with him.

'Rose's hair is prettier than yours, you know,' he said frankly, his words slurring slightly as he fought to remain awake. 'It doesn't have as much grey in it.'

'Oi! Watch it, mister,' Jackie snapped, although there was no heat to her words.

He smiled mischievously at her, obviously sensing that she wasn't really angry with him. Jackie rolled her eyes, content to let the matter drop as she continued to stroke his forehead comfortingly. He was like a cat, she thought to herself, watching as his eyelids drooped further and further as he allowed himself to relax into the gentle embrace of sleep.

'I think it might be a good idea if you come and stay with us for the next little while,' she said softly. 'The thought of you negotiating that cottage of yours on crutches is absolutely terrifying.'

She'd thought he was already lost to the land of the dreams, his eyes closed and his breathing deep and even, but he smiled sleepily at her words.

'Tony will like that,' he mumbled, his breath blowing out in a soft sigh as he drifted off to sleep.

Beside him Jackie only smiled as she pulled the blankets up to cover him properly, silent guardian watching over him as he slept.


	6. December

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very excited to finally be able to put this up. Thank you to everyone who has read this story. I hope you've all enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Apologies for the long delay between chapter 5 and this final instalment. I got hooked on the West Wing and spent a large amount of my free time binge-watching that as opposed to writing! As a reward for your patience, there was one extra scene I felt didn't quite belong in this chapter, but one I couldn't leave out. So you'll find an epilogue not too far away, once I remember how to use this site again!

The smell of stale air greeted the Doctor as he let himself into Rose's apartment. It must have been two months since he'd last set foot in her home he estimated, and judging from the small mountain of mail the irritated building manager had just offloaded on him he could well believe it. Dropping the pile of mail onto the small side table Rose kept by the door, the Doctor proceeded directly to the sofa and collapsed face forwards onto it.

He was absolutely exhausted.

He'd been up all night marking the last of his student's papers so that he'd be able to spend the holiday season uninterrupted in London. An endeavour he'd only undertaken because he didn't think Jackie would be particularly impressed if he arrived for Christmas with a bag of papers in tow. Having spent the last day of term entirely on his feet though, the addition of a missed night's sleep meant his left leg was giving him hell.

Excluding the mishap with the Ketamine, the Doctor's recovery from his broken leg had been essentially unremarkable. He'd spent the first few days after his fall resting in London at the Tyler mansion before returning to Exmouth and his job. Jackie hadn't been particularly pleased, certain that he'd be climbing ladders the moment he returned home – with or without his crutches – but thankfully he'd managed to convince her otherwise. He suspected she'd given in because she'd thought the physiotherapist and the Orthopaedic surgeon might have been on her side as well, but with the way he'd adapted to crutches like a duck to water neither treating party had seen any reason why the Doctor couldn't return to work if he so wished.

Of course he'd discovered the real reason for her oh so gracious surrender the moment he'd arrived home, finding his roof repaired and the majority of his renovations complete courtesy of Jacqueline and Peter Tyler. He supposed he ought to have been a little more suspicious of her sudden backflip on the issue, but if it allowed Jackie to rest easy at night – then who was he to complain? After all, with an injured leg and the hours he worked at the university, the renovations would have taken him another month at best.

Despite the challenges of his job he'd managed well by himself over the past four weeks, having learnt early on to rest his leg frequently to avoid aggravating the injury. The dull ache he could feel now was a timely reminder though that although he now wore a moon boot, his leg was still healing. It had been awhile since he'd last let his leg get the better of him, but he supposed it _had_ been an unusual day. It was nothing a little sleep wouldn't fix though.

Closing his eyes, the Doctor relaxed into the sofa. Half-heartedly he thought about organising something for dinner later, but the temptation to sleep, now that he was stretched out on the sofa, was far too great to ignore. With a smothered yawn he succumbed to his exhaustion.

o0o

_Bleep! Bleep! Bleep!_

The incessant bleeping sound dragged the Doctor back to wakefulness, disturbing his much needed rest. Blearily he took in his darkened surroundings, needing a moment to recall where he was. It had been mid afternoon when he'd arrived at Rose's apartment and he'd been able to navigate the room with the last of the day's sunlight. Night had fallen whilst he'd slept though and now he found himself disorientated in the dark. Unfamiliar with the layout of the room he stumbled twice over unknown objects as he blindly felt around for the light switch, all the while wondering what in the name of Rassilon was responsible for the high-pitched wailing that had woken him.

_Bleep! Bleep! Bleep!_

Finally he found the elusive light switch, flooding the room with bright fluorescent white light. He blinked rapidly as his eyes adjusted to the light, taking in his surroundings as he tried to work out where the bleeping was coming from. He must have still been half asleep though because it took him almost half a minute to realise that he knew _exactly_ what was causing that distinctive bleeping. There was only one device that made that particular sound: his Void Activity Detector.

_Bleep! Bleep! Bleep!_

Suddenly wide awake the Doctor scrambled over the sofa, injured leg forgotten as he took the most direct route he could manage into the spare bedroom he'd been using since his arrival in Pete's world.

'Where are you?' he muttered aloud, pulling the covers off the bed in his haste to uncover the bleeping device.

To think he'd once carried the device on him at all times, and now activated – he couldn't find the bloody thing! He widened his area of search, turning his room upside down in a mad hunt for the device he'd all but given up on.

'Come on! _Think_!' he groaned aloud in frustration, pulling madly at his hair as he conceded that the V.A.D – as he'd affectionately termed the device – was definitely _not_ in his bedroom.

He forced himself to stop looking for a moment, to ignore that insistent part of his mind that was urging him to find the device as quickly as he could, and to instead focus on trying to recall the last time he'd actually seen the V.A.D. He may no longer have been entirely Time Lord, but now that he was thinking clearly it took him twenty-two seconds to remember. Ignoring the mess he'd made in his bedroom he strode purposefully across the hall and into the bathroom. And there, left rather incongruously on the overflowing laundry hamper, sat his Void Activity Detector.

'Look at you!' he exclaimed proudly, gently extracting the V.A.D from his pyjama pants. 'All bleep-y and flash-y. I _knew_ you'd work eventually.'

His pride for his device lasted only seconds, sidelined by a much more important realisation other than the fact that the V.A.D had finally worked. And that was _why_ his V.A.D was working. Because there was only one possible explanation for that: Rose was home.

Without a second thought the Doctor dropped the Void Activity Detector, barely registering the sound of it shattering as it hit the bathroom tiles. There was only one place he had to be tonight.

o0o

His breath condensed around him as he exhaled, the cold air nipping at his exposed cheeks. Thankfully, he'd at least had the foresight to grab his coat and ear-flap beanie before leaving Rose's apartment fifteen minutes ago. Although said items of clothing were now facilitating his continued vigil on the courtesy bench outside Torchwood Tower. Perhaps if he could feel the cold he'd have summoned the courage to go inside and look for her.

Despite the impediment to his left foot he'd still made good time, covering the block and a half to Torchwood Tower in less than five minutes. Factoring in the amount of time since the V.A.D had activated, he calculated that Rose must have been back for almost twelve minutes now. That meant she should be exiting Torchwood Tower in approximately five minutes and eighteen seconds. Plenty of time for him to summon his courage, he surmised.

He was completely caught off guard then when Rose stepped out of the building one minute and forty seconds later, a full three minutes and thirty-eight seconds early.

Oddly, the only thing he could think as he watched her hurry towards him was that she must have taken the stairs as opposed to the lift. There was no other plausible explanation for his margin of error. After all, it was well known at Torchwood that if you ever wanted to get anywhere quickly in the building you never took the lifts. They took a full five minutes and four seconds to get from the ground floor to the top floor whereas the steps took exactly three minutes and twenty seconds – if you walked. Yet he was one minute and forty seconds short.

The realisation had him grinning like an idiot to himself because suddenly it no longer mattered.

All the doubt, all the anger and hurt, all the fear and resentment that had haunted him since she'd left fell away because the moment she'd come home, Rose had _run_. She hadn't walked down those stairs. She'd run. And if that meant what he thought it did, then nothing else mattered.

He was so caught up in his calculations that it took him a second to realise Rose had hurried right past him without seeing him. In fact, if he wasn't mistaken she looked like she was heading towards her apartment. Something which only made him more certain that he was right.

She was looking for him.

Courage restored he finally made his presence known before she could pass out of ear shot.

'Hello, Rose.'

She stopped abruptly.

Silently, he waited for her to turn around doing his best to ignore the feeling that he was in free fall. When she did turn to face him he felt his breath catch in his chest. He couldn't take his eyes off her as he gazed at her in wonderment. His memory had been a poor substitute indeed.

Slowly she closed the distance between them, studying him with a similar expression as she approached. Feeling self-conscious he pulled Jackie's daft beanie off his head, running a flustered hand through his hair as he hurried to stand, injured leg forgotten.

'Oh my God,' Rose exclaimed suddenly, closing the distance between them abruptly. 'Are you okay? What happened?'

The Doctor frowned, thrown by the non-sequitur before he realised she'd caught sight of his moon boot. Of course that would be the first thing she'd notice he thought with fond exasperation, rubbing nervously at the back of his neck.

'Oh, right. Err...I fell off a ladder,' he admitted sheepishly.

Strangely, his response seemed to prompt a whole spectrum of emotions from her. He watched them parade across her features in rapid succession before her features finally settled on one of sorrowful resignation.

'How long?' she asked quietly.

He supposed he ought to have expected that question.

Still, it took him by surprise and he swallowed nervously, gaze flitting away briefly as the loaded question hung heavily in the air between them.

He'd missed her every moment she'd been gone, and hated that she hadn't been there with him as he'd struggled to navigate the strange new human life he'd found himself in. But now that she was standing before him, back home where she belonged, the amount of time she'd been gone no longer seemed to matter to him. He'd found himself whilst she'd been gone, and he knew now it was something he'd needed to do alone. Taking note of her anxious expression he could tell she already suspected. And even though he knew it was going to hurt her to know how long it had been, he knew she deserved the truth from him.

'Five and a half months.'

She stared at him in disbelief.

'Half a year!?' she uttered in horror.

He shrugged half-heartedly, but she didn't seem to notice.

'I don't know what to say.'

Her quiet admission filled him with relief because honestly he didn't know what to say either.

'You don't need to say anything,' he reassured her. 'I'm just glad you're back.'

It must have been the right thing to say though because suddenly he found himself with an armful of Rose Tyler. Holding her to him tightly he vowed to himself that he would never take her for granted again. He'd risked too many second chances with her already. This time he'd get it right.

'I'm sorry,' Rose mumbled into his chest.

There was a beat of silence as he processed her words, time seeming to have ceased momentarily for him as he'd held her in his arms. He wondered what she was apologising for. They'd both made mistakes those first few days in Pete's universe, but he'd come to accept months ago that although she'd left him here, she'd only been going where he'd needed her most. She'd found Peter Vincent and in doing so had saved _his_ life. It was a debt he could not hope to repay. However, he could admit to his own faults and the role he'd played in bringing them to this point. He'd spoken harshly the night she'd left him, and he owed her an apology for that.

'So am I,' he said softly.

There was still much that they would need to talk about in the coming days, explanations that they owed each other, but for now it was enough.

They stood together a moment longer before he realised she was shivering in his arm. Rolling his eyes at her poor choice of clothing he fished his beanie out from his pocket and placed it atop her head, pulling it down low so that her ears would be covered and inadvertently covering her eyes at the same time.

'There!' he said proudly, admiring his handiwork. 'Best way to keep warm, Rose Tyler.'

She scowled good-naturedly at him as she deliberately rearranged the beanie so that it was no longer covering her eyes.

'Come on,' he laughed. 'Let's get you home.'

Holding out his hand, much as he had done that first Christmas, he wiggled his fingers enticingly as he waited for her to take it. She smiled, entwining their fingers as she came to stand beside him. He glanced down once at their hands, unable to hide his own smile, before pulling her off in the direction of her flat.

He'd missed this more than anything whilst she'd been gone. Holding hands and running for their lives was quintessentially them after all. Rose must have felt similarly because it wasn't long before she'd relaxed completely, her thumb tracing idle patterns on his hands whilst her other hand came up to rest at his elbow. By the time they reached the high street she was back to her normal teasing self.

'So go on then, how come you were on a ladder? Has mum got you doing all her odd jobs now?'

He scoffed automatically, buying time as he tried to think of a way to explain Exmouth to her that didn't sound completely ridiculous. After all, he was the man who'd once been terrified by the idea of ever owning a house. She must have sensed his discomfort because she gave his hand a gentle squeeze, letting him know he didn't have to answer if he didn't want to. That was enough to prompt him into action, and he smiled gratefully, appreciating her concern. He just hoped she'd be happy with his decision. Because he was pretty sure one was supposed to confer with their significant other about things like this beforehand.

'About that...' he began slowly, wincing as his voice cracked with apprehension. 'There are a few things you should probably know straight up.'

'Okay...'

Well, at least she was still listening, he thought positively as he glanced over at her before turning his attention towards his feet as he summoned his courage.

'I have a job,' he stated bluntly.

He heard her exhale sharply. His chest tightened, expecting the worse. In his experience, loud exhales were never a good sign. If he'd glanced over at her though he'd have seen the relief and pride which had overtaken her features with his admission.

'Really? Whereabouts?'

Her genuine interest touched him to the core and he gripped her hand more tightly, silently giving thanks for her support.

'I'm a lecturer at Exeter University,' he supplied eagerly.

'Good for you!' Rose congratulated him, before frowning suddenly. 'Bit far out though, isn't it? Do you teach an online course or something?'

He shook his head, momentarily having forgotten the whole "I moved out of London" thing.

'That's the other big _thing_ ,' he admitted sheepishly.

She clearly had no idea what he meant. Taking a deep breath to steady his nerves, he gave his answer, letting the words out in a quick whoosh of air.

'I bought a house.'

Rose stopped dead in the middle of the footpath, pulling him to a stop with her. He wondered briefly if it was too late to retract his words.

'Seriously!?' she questioned incredulously, her voice jumping an octave higher.

He frowned, not quite sure what to make of her reaction. She didn't sound angry. But neither did she sound overjoyed.

'Well...yeah,' he said lamely after a minute, deciding to take her question simply at face value.

Vaguely he was aware of his free hand drifting up to rub nervously at the back of his neck. Her reaction had completely thrown him, and before he could stop himself he was rambling a mile a minute, stubbornly entrenching himself further as he tried to second guess her response.

'I didn't really think about it,' he confessed. 'I needed somewhere to start growing the TARDIS, and obviously your flat wasn't really the right size – you've got to admit the place is tiny, Rose – and the TARDIS runs on rift energy so London was out of the question. No rifts to be found in suburbia. And then of course there was the issue of what the neighbours would think if we started growing our own TARDIS in the backyard of our semi-detached. Plus once _your_ _mother_ knew I was thinking about it,' he continued dramatically, 'she was unrelenting. Until Pete suggested –'

He was rather rudely cut off mid sentence as Rose grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and pulled him down to snog him senseless. Judging from her enthusiasm, he supposed that meant she approved completely. And if his mind hadn't been otherwise occupied, he'd have spared a moment to congratulate himself.

As it was the next several minutes were spent thoroughly reacquainting themselves with each other, and not even the Doctor had the brain power to focus on anything other than that.

When they finally broke apart he was pleased to note Rose looked suitably dishevelled.

'You're not mad then?' he confirmed delightedly, unable to resist pointing that particular fact out.

Rose laughed, causing him to grin ridiculously at her.

'Doctor,' she said earnestly. 'I am so proud of you.'

She looked it too, her gaze overflowing with affection as she stared up at him. He didn't even need to think, he simply spoke.

'I love you, Rose Tyler.'

That smile he'd missed so very much appeared, and in that moment he knew they were going to be okay.

'Quite right, too,' she murmured contentedly.

o0o

The Doctor lobbed his wet towel at Rose as he exited the bathroom to find her still in bed. It was his third attempt in the past half-hour to get her up and out of bed. Much to his disbelief she simply rolled over, an indignant huff the only indication that the towel had even bothered her.

'Rose, come on!' he groaned desperately. 'Your mother is going to kill me. She's expecting us for Christmas lunch and it's already half-eleven!'

Something in his tone must have finally gotten through to her because suddenly she sat bolt upright.

' _Christmas_ lunch?' she repeated, sounding horrified. 'I thought you were joking!'

'Why on Earth would I joke about something like that?' he asked in exasperation, fingers fumbling with the knot of his tie.

It was a new one he'd picked up on a whim that morning whilst he'd been out collecting Tony's Christmas present, and featured Santa and his reindeers on a dark blue background. He was certain it was going to be a big hit with the little boy. The fact that he was putting it on though seemed to finally motivate Rose enough to get out of bed.

'What are we going to do?' she fretted, nudging past him to pull a new set of underwear out of her closet. 'It's Christmas and I haven't got anything for Tony! Or Mum! Do you think we can still buy something today?'

The Doctor watched, slightly bemused as she hurried into the bathroom shutting the door behind her as she continued her one-sided conversation. Wandering back into his own room he set about looking for a pair of socks. He was interrupted by a shriek from the bathroom.

'Rose!?' he called, hurrying back into her room, two odd socks clutched in his hand.

The bathroom door opened to reveal a thoroughly unimpressed Rose, dressed only in a towel.

'Doctor,' she asked ever so calmly. 'Why are there two puppies in the laundry hamper?'

'Oh!' he exclaimed, feeling like an idiot. 'I completely forgot!'

Ducking past a confused Rose he hurried over to the laundry hamper, retrieving his precious cargo from within.

'Up you come,' he murmured quietly to the two little Beagle pups, cradling them against his chest. He was so distracted by the puppies that he didn't hear Rose approach until she spoke.

'Please tell me they're not what I think they are?'

'What?'

She stared at him knowingly.

'They're for Tony,' he admitted. 'They're his Christmas present.'

Rose groaned.

'You can't just buy puppies for other people, Doctor,' she explained slowly. 'It's rude, and they might not be able to manage them at home.'

He frowned.

'I know,' he agreed. 'That's why I asked Jackie weeks ago.'

Rose blinked, apparently completely flawed.

'Mum _knows_ you're giving Tony a puppy for Christmas?'

He nodded.

'And she actually _agreed_?'

He nodded again, amused.

'I'm not completely stupid you know, Rose Tyler.'

Rose laughed, reaching out to pat the two small puppies he held.

'Wait, she knows there are two of them, right?' she said after a moment.

This time he laughed, handing the lighter coloured of the two Beagle pups over to Rose.

' _Yes_ ,' he confirmed dramatically, dragging the word out in amusement.

Rose rolled her eyes, accepting the proffered pup automatically and nursing it against her chest.

'Aren't you beautiful?' she crooned softly, rubbing the little thing behind the ears. 'I'm surprised Mum agreed to two,' she added conversationally, glancing up at him.

'Well,' he began, rearranging his puppy so it could snuggle against his heart. 'Originally it was supposed to be only one pup, but when I arrived to pick one out there were only two left. A little boy,' he gestured to the pup he was holding, before nodding at the pup Rose was holding, 'and a little girl. I was going to pick her out,' he continued, 'but as soon as I picked her up to say hello, this little fellow started crying. He thought I was taking her away,' the Doctor explained, smiling fondly at the little pup nestled in his arms. 'Just about went berserk trying to get out of the enclosure to reach her, but as soon as I put her back down with him he settled. He needed her,' he said simply, looking up to meet Rose's gaze.

It was clear that she understood he wasn't talking about the puppies anymore.

'Course she did,' Rose said thickly. 'She needed him too.'

He smiled softly, leaning forward to place a feather-light kiss on Rose's forehead. It might have progressed further too if his puppy hadn't chosen that moment to attempt to launch himself into Rose's arms, clearly having observed that his sister was within reach again.

'Whoa there, big fella,' he chuckled, pulling the wayward pup back against his chest before he could hurt himself. 'Careful or you'll hurt yourself!'

Rose laughed, gently transferring her far more sedate pup back to the Doctor before the pair of them could cause any further mischief.

'So how'd you convince Mum to take them both?'

He grinned.

'Sent her a picture of the pair of them curled up together,' he said proudly. 'She couldn't say no after that.'

Rose didn't look entirely convinced.

'Okay,' he caved. 'I _may_ have already bought them both, so she didn't really have much choice.'

Rose laughed.

'Now that sounds much more like you.'

He rolled his eyes.

'Hurry up and have your shower,' he grumbled good-naturedly. 'At this rate it'll be New Year before we get to your parents.'

o0o

Rose glanced at the Doctor as she navigated her blue Prius up her parent's driveway. He was dozing in the passenger seat, the box containing Tony's Christmas present clutched tightly on his lap even as he slept. Sneaking a quick glance at his precious cargo she could see the two Beagle pups were curled up together, as lost to the land of dreams as their guardian was.

He'd changed so much whilst she'd been gone. It was apparent even now as he slept, his face more relaxed than she'd ever seen it. Gone were the worry lines and furrowed brows that had haunted him since he'd arrived in Pete's universe. She had to resist the urge to sweep his wayward fringe off his forehead as she parked the car, lest she disturb him. She knew he'd missed a fair bit of sleep in the last few days.

Plus she'd kept him up late last night as well.

When they'd arrived back at her apartment it hadn't seemed right to simply part ways and retreat to their own separate bedrooms. She'd been gone five and a half months, and there was so much they hadn't talked about when they'd first arrived in Pete's universe. They'd talked a little bit on the walk back from Torchwood Tower, but she hadn't wanted to go to bed without explaining her disappearance to him. He'd waited long enough for an answer. As it turned out, like his older self, he'd had a pretty good idea of where she'd been and what had happened.

So she'd asked him why he'd used the Chameleon arch.

He'd said nothing for a long moment and she'd thought for certain she'd overstepped the mark, but once again he'd surprised her. They'd sat down on her sofa together, and for forty continuous minutes he'd spoken about the year that never was. Her heart had broken for him as she'd listened and she'd finally understood why he'd needed to be Peter Vincent. Talking about it must have been incredibly cathartic for him too because the longer he'd spoken the more relaxed he'd become. Somehow last night they'd both found closure.

Eventually he'd stopped talking though and their excuse to remain in each other's presence had evaporated. He'd stood up then, rambling a mile a minute in a half-hearted attempt to excuse himself to his own bedroom, obviously uncertain of where he'd stood with her. After all, the last time they'd been alone in her apartment they'd been so determined to prove to each other that everything was "okay" that they'd pushed each other away. She refused to make the same mistake twice.

As he'd half-heartedly moved to leave she'd grabbed him by the hand. She'd wanted to explain to him why he didn't need to go, why she'd be happy with forever. She'd been aiming for some eloquent explanation that would ensure he knew exactly where he stood with her. But in the end she'd simply blurted out what was in her mind and in her heart: _stay._

And he had.

His heart beat had changed, but after so many years apart nothing compared to the feel of his arms wrapped tightly around her again as they'd slept. It was the most restful night's sleep she'd ever had. Until he'd decided to rudely awaken her a mere six hours later, of course. He'd gotten up much earlier than her because he'd needed to pick up the two pups from the breeder, and because he'd known they were supposed to be at Jackie and Pete's by midday. But as was apparent by their current tardiness she'd definitely still been half asleep when he'd told her his plans for the day.

She still hadn't decided whether to wake him or not as she turned the engine off, however he made the decision for her, stirring by himself.

'Hey there, sleepy-head,' she smirked. 'Did you have a nice nap?'

The Doctor scowled, rubbing sleep from his eyes. Laughing, she darted forwards and stole a quick kiss. The scowl disappeared immediately to be replaced with a cocky grin – as she'd known it would be.

'Do you know what?' he murmured, leaning across to whisper in her ear, his confidence buoyed. 'I love that we do this now.'

They shared a brief snog which quickly became heated. Before the Doctor could get too carried away though Rose reluctantly drew back, forcing herself to be the more responsible one.

'Doctor, I love it too,' she reassured him, noting his pout. 'But we definitely _cannot_ do this when we're parked outside my parent's house.'

Horrified, the Doctor glanced warily towards the front door, as though he expected Jackie to come storming out.

'You're absolutely right, Rose Tyler,' he said seriously.

Clearly he didn't want to tempt fate because in record time he was out of the car and opening the boot one-handed to unload their bags. Rose rolled her eyes as she followed his lead. No matter what he said about "superior Time Lord genes", at heart he was still a typical bloke. Grabbing his holdall with hers, so he could carry the puppies, she followed him to the door. They were almost there when a thought occurred to her.

'Did you tell Mum I was home?'

The Doctor looked at her blankly.

'Should I have?'

Rose groaned.

'I can't just show up out of the blue! She'll have a fit!'

He frowned.

'No, no, it'll be fine,' he said hastily, reaching out to press the doorbell. 'I'll handle it,' he promised, although it sounded like he was trying to reassure himself rather than her. 'Just stay behind me. It'll be like a nice Christmas surprise for her,' he added doubtfully.

Rose raised an eyebrow, but dutifully stepped off the porch so that she was out of sight.

'A "nice Christmas surprise" we didn't tell her about ten hours ago when I arrived?' she mumbled sarcastically.

The Doctor cringed.

'Ah,' he agreed. 'I hadn't thought of that.'

He looked like he was seriously considering bolting, but they could both hear Jackie's distinct footsteps approaching the door now. Rose gave him a warning look, daring him to leave her to face her mother alone. He looked at her desperately.

'I did try to warn you,' Rose pointed out unapologetically, beginning to see the funny side of things.

'Fat lot of good you are,' the Doctor groused good-naturedly, turning to face the music.

Rose suppressed a snort of laughter as she watched him put on an ear splitting grin as the door opened to reveal Jackie Tyler.

She did not look impressed.

'What time do you call this then?'

The Doctor ignored her.

'Merry Christmas, Jackie,' he exclaimed cheerfully. 'I've got a surprise for you.'

Jackie's eyes immediately narrowed suspiciously.

'I'm warning you now, Doctor. You better not have any more than two puppies in that – '

Realising she'd better put both the Doctor and Jackie out of their misery; Rose stepped out from her hiding place. Jackie's words died on her lips as she caught sight of her, her expression morphing from affectionate exasperation to utter surprise.

'Hello, Mum.'

Jackie gaped wordlessly, and then without warning slapped the Doctor on the arm.

'Ow!' he complained dubiously. 'What was _that_ for!?'

'That's for not telling me, you completely daft man!' she shrieked. 'And you too, Rose!' she added, turning to her daughter.

The Doctor rolled his eyes as predictably the two Tyler women launched themselves at each other and embraced tightly before promptly bursting into tears. Of course he was the only one to suffer Jackie's infamous slap. He rubbed needlessly at his right arm, grumbling under his breath about double standards, as he stooped to carefully pick up the box containing the puppies which he'd thankfully had the foresight to set down before ringing the doorbell. And not a moment too soon, as it happened.

The noise must have caught Pete's attention because suddenly he was at the door, a look of utter disbelief and delight on his face as he realised who the Doctor had brought along with him. Hurrying forward he joined his wife and daughter, wrapping his arms around the pair of them. And hot on his father's heels a Christmas sweater clad Tony raced out of the house, sparing the Doctor barely a glance as he leapt into his big sister's arms.

Taking advantage of the family's temporary distraction the Doctor slipped inside unnoticed and deposited Tony's Christmas present under the tree. He wanted it to be a proper surprise for the six year old. Returning to the foyer he watched the reunion contentedly from the doorway, after all he'd had ten hours on his own with Rose since she'd come home. Rose must have sensed his presence though because she glanced across at him, her brow furrowing for a moment as she found him stood by himself. Bending down she whispered something into Tony's ear, causing the little boy to glance over at him. He listened earnestly to Rose for a moment longer, nodding before breaking away from the group and launching himself trustingly at the Doctor.

Bending at the knees he scooped the boy up easily. Tony clutched at him tightly, burying himself against the Doctor's shoulder.

'Thank you, Doctor,' he whispered.

'What for?' he asked, genuinely perplexed as he shifted the boy so he could see his face.

Vaguely he was aware of the other adults making their way to the door, their own interest piqued by what Tony had to say.

'For believing in Rose,' the boy answered simply, his gratitude towards the Doctor shining through his serious gaze. 'She said she couldn't have come home if you hadn't.'

He didn't know what to say to that, glancing helplessly at Rose.

'It's true,' she said sincerely, coming to stand beside them.

'Of course it is,' Jackie echoed emphatically, as though the discussion was over. 'The pair of you are completely useless without the other,' she deadpanned.

'Mum,' Rose groaned. 'Don't tease him!'

'Oh he doesn't mind,' Jackie groused affectionately, plucking a squirming Tony from the Doctor's grasp. 'Now, what did _I_ tell you to say when the Doctor arrived?' she asked Tony, carrying on as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

His hands liberated, Rose entwined their fingers as she came to stand by him, curious to hear what her little brother had to say. There was a beat of silence as Tony concentrated, recalling his mother's instructions, and then his face brightened as he remembered.

'Merry Christmas, Doctor and Rose!' he shouted enthusiastically.

The six year olds excitement was enough to table any further talk of Rose's return, and the Doctor readily embraced the season's spirit.

'Merry Christmas, Tony Tyler,' he returned eagerly, crouching down to Tony's height. 'Now, if I'm not mistaken,' he said seriously, 'I believe there's something very special waiting for you under the tree!'

That was all the permission Tony needed to race back into the house.

Laughing, the adults followed behind at a much more sedate pace with Rose and the Doctor bringing up the rear, hand in hand. Tony's delighted shout reached them not a moment later.

'MUM! It's puppies!'

'Hang on, Tony,' Pete warned, hurrying ahead. 'Wait for me.'

Jackie a few paces behind him, stopped right outside the lounge room to face the Doctor and Rose in the hallway.

'I wasn't kidding before, Doctor,' she said seriously.

'What about?' he asked warily.

'If there are more than two pups in there, I'm going to kill you.'

With that cheerful threat she disappeared into the lounge room with her husband and son, leaving an affronted Doctor with Rose.

'Can you believe her?' he said seriously. 'No trust at all.'

Rose took one look at his expression, and burst out laughing.

'Oh be quiet, Rose Tyler,' he grumbled, cutting her off succinctly with a sound snog.

After all, they did that now. And if it was a little while before they joined the rest of the Tylers in the lounge room, who could blame them. They had a lot of lost time to make up for.

~ FIN ~


	7. Epilogue

'Are we there yet?'

The Doctor laughed.

'How old are you again?' he teased, keeping his eyes on the road as he drove.

'Oi, careful mister,' Rose groused. 'The way I see it, you're either six months old – which makes you _way_ too young for me – or you're still a good nine hundred years older than me. In fact, you're practically ancient.'

'"Practically ancient",' he repeated incredulously. 'Now you sound like a teenager.'

'Ha ha,' Rose muttered sarcastically. 'Can you at least answer the question?'

'What question?' the Doctor asked innocently.

'Ergh, you're so annoying.'

The Doctor snorted in amusement.

'It's not funny!' Rose snapped. 'We've been driving for _ages!_ '

'We've been driving for four minutes and sixteen seconds, Rose.'

There was a beat of silence.

'Well, it's hard to keep track of time when you can't see anything,' she defended petulantly.

'I assure you it's not.'

If she hadn't been blindfolded the Doctor was certain Rose would have rolled her eyes.

'Yes, well not all of us have superior Time Lord senses,' she conceded dryly.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw her hand creep towards the edge of the blindfold. Without taking his eyes from the road, he reached out with unerring accuracy to grasp the offending appendage.

'No cheating,' he said sternly.

Rose huffed, giving in and reluctantly replacing her hand in her lap. Several minutes of blissful silence passed before she spoke again.

'Are we there now?'

The Doctor chose to ignore her this time, returning his attention entirely to the road now that the turnoff to their place was approaching.

They'd left the Tyler mansion just after four that morning, leaving behind a very drunk Jackie Tyler and a frazzled Pete. He'd just managed to get the last of his guests off the front lawn and into guest rooms when Rose and the Doctor had snuck away. It was New Year's Day, and as per tradition the Tyler family had hosted their annual New Year's Eve party the night before. This year's had been particularly boisterous, with Jackie capitalising on the opportunity to celebrate the Doctor's arrival in Pete's universe properly, now that Rose was back for good.

As the guest of honour he'd promised not to wander off before the party was over – or at least not before Jackie was well and truly past sobriety. He'd had plans for New Year's Day though, so with Pete's blessing he'd smuggled a slightly tipsy Rose Tyler away from the party as it had wrapped up earlier that morning.

Since Rose had arrived home they hadn't had an opportunity to get away from London. With Christmas and the New Year's Eve party to organise, there really hadn't been any spare time. He knew Rose was more than a little curious to see the place he now called home, but she'd accepted that they couldn't really disappear on Jackie. Plus, he suspected she still felt guilty over how long she'd been gone.

He hadn't told her where they were going this morning, but he figured she'd guessed the moment he'd turned onto the M4. So he'd insisted on the blindfold when they'd reached the outskirts of Exmouth. After all, he had been angling for the whole "surprise" thing when he'd planned the trip. That part might not have worked out, but he was glad to note he'd at least gotten his timing spot on. Signalling left to turn into his driveway he manoeuvred the car up to the carport. By the time he got Rose into position it would be perfect.

Pulling up, he put the car into park and hurried round to let Rose out of the passenger's side before she could sneak a peek from under her blindfold.

'Come on,' he coaxed, grasping her hand tightly.

She must have sensed his excitement because she obliged him without complaint, a smile finding its way onto her features as she finally embraced the experience. Silently he guided her around the cottage to the back yard, his gaze scanning the path constantly for hazards as they trudged across the frozen ground. Finally, he stopped.

Glancing at the sky, he positioned himself behind her, gently wrapping his arms around her waist. She fidgeted in surprise, trying to turn to see him.

'Doctor?'

He pressed a kiss to the back of her head.

'Trust me, Rose,' he murmured.

'Always.'

She relaxed against him, content to wait. A few more minutes, and it would be perfect he thought as he watched the sky lighten that tiny bit more, heralding sunrise. Before him the North Atlantic spread across the horizon, waves breaking softly against the shore not even a hundred feet from them. It reminded him of Woman Wept, the cool bite of the early morning winter eerily similar to the frozen planet they'd once visited long ago. And off to the side, standing proud in all her glory grew the TARDIS.

He'd only seen her a week ago, but already he could see hundreds of new shoots and connections that had appeared since he'd last seen her. The orbs that now adorned her in abundance glowed beautifully in the pre-dawn light.

Rose stirred against him, and he wondered if she could sense the TARDIS close by.

Smiling, he reached up to gently release the blindfold.

'Rose Tyler, may I introduce you to an old friend?'

He knew he'd timed it perfectly when he heard her gasp in awe. The sun had just crested the horizon, throwing the world into sharp relief as its light spread across the sky. And as he'd known it would, the light brought the TARDIS' orbs to life.

'Oh, Doctor,' Rose breathed. 'She's beautiful.'

Darting forward she reached out to touch one of the orbs. The moment her hand made contact the TARDIS hummed in approval, her orbs briefly brightening with recognition.

'Still her favourite then?' the Doctor observed casually, coming to stand by Rose.

Rose chuckled

'I dunno,' she teased. 'Might be she still hasn't forgiven you for getting jam all over her console.'

'Oi! That was one time,' he protested, snagging Rose's hand again. 'And it was an accident. If she hadn't insisted on such a rough landing it wouldn't have been a problem.'

A branch shifted behind him, and out of nowhere an orb clipped the side of his head. Rose snorted, unable to hide her mirth.

'You're not fooling either one of us, Doctor.'

Glaring irritably at the innocent looking orb now hanging limply out of reach, the Doctor scowled.

'It's not my fault,' he whined. 'You two always gang up on me.'

Rose smirked.

'Of course we do. Who else is going to keep you in check?'

He rolled his eyes, but grinned nonetheless.

'Happy New Year, Rose Tyler.'

'Happy New Year, Doctor,' she replied leaning up to kiss him briefly.

Relinquishing his lips, Rose seemed to be in no hurry to go inside, content to simply circle the TARDIS aimlessly, hand in hand with the Doctor. Every now and then she'd reach out to brush a hand against an orb, each time earning a contented hum from his temperamental TARDIS. He wasn't the least bit surprised to learn that this TARDIS appeared to be just as loyal to Rose Tyler as her mother had been.

The sun was now well and truly up as Rose finally steered them away from the TARDIS and down towards the beach. She seemed preoccupied, so the Doctor let her lead the way without question. He knew she'd talk to him soon enough.

And she did, pulling them to a stop midway down the beach.

'I met your future self in Las Vegas.'

Her statement was completely unexpected.

'What?'

'I wasn't sure how to bring it up,' she admitted, staring out across the water. 'He wanted me to give you a message, but it felt wrong to tell you before now. Like it was too soon? Being here with her though,' she added, nodding back towards the TARDIS, 'well it just seems right now.'

He watched her silently, still unable to find anything useful to say. Rose looked nervous though, chewing on her thumbnail as she watched him expectantly.

'Does that sound mad to you?' she asked quietly.

He realised he needed to say something.

'No,' he answered honestly, squeezing her hand reassuringly.

He was a Time Lord after all. He understood better than most fixed points – for better or for worse. He just hoped his future self knew what he was doing. Summoning his courage he prompted Rose.

'What was the message?'

Rose met his solemn gaze.

'He said to tell you: "Gallifrey Falls, No More".'

For one timeless second the world stopped moving beneath his feet as the Doctor processed what Rose had said, his future self's message reverberating around his mind. And then in the blink of an eye his mind rewrote itself. Long forgotten memories bursting into life as the phrase that had locked them away finally set them free again.

He remembered everything.

The journey he'd taken alone into the desolated plains of Gallifrey, weighed down by the Moment. The choice he'd been offered by the Moment, wrapped in the guise of Bad Wolf. Her warning that the price would be his life, that he would endure while Gallifrey perished. And his decision to bear that consequence because no other option existed.

Except one had.

He remembered that he hadn't been alone that awful day. He'd made a choice, but not alone. He'd still chosen to end the War, but not without hope. He'd given Gallifrey a chance.

When the Doctor came back to himself he found himself in Rose's arms, seated on the slightly too cool sand of the frozen beach. It was only when she reached up to brush moisture off his cheek that he realised he'd been crying. Stilling her hand, he leaned in to kiss her briefly, catching her by surprise.

'You were crying,' she said softly, her brow furrowed with concern.

'I know,' he said gently.

'It was so important to him that I tell you that,' she said nervously. 'I thought it would be...I thought it was something you _needed_ to know...' she trailed off helplessly.

He smiled tenderly, reaching up to smooth her frowns away with his thumb.

'It was,' he assured her.

'But...it upset you?'

She sounded so puzzled that all he could do was lean in and kiss her again.

'No, Rose,' he promised her.

'Then what did it mean? What was the message?'

He smiled.

'Hope.'


End file.
